An explosion ripped through the air. Illuminating the sky with ferocity unknown to man. Rubble and debris were launched through the city. Even the waters churned amidst the cataclysmic event. A single figure ran as the ground shook. He took to the docks. One last street was all he needed to cross. He ran like mad until a chunk of a building came down close to Omi. A car swerved out of the way, as he rounded the fallen building and sped through the dust and smoke he clipped Omi.

It was at such an angle that Omi was thrown into the windshield and from there he sailed through the air for a few moments, he went over the edge of the docks and into the waters below.
Omi blacked out as soon as he was pulled under. Later waters pulled him onto the shores, little had Omi known a stone made its way into his pocket. A series of strange currents kept the waters away from Omi's mouth. He simply lay slumped in the sand, awaiting to open his eyes once more.

Omi awoke hours later, blood trickled down the side of his head. The left side of his rib cage was bruised. It was possible a facture had even occurred. Omi coughed up some water, which sent lancing signals of pain up his left side.
He rolled onto his back his eyes slowly opened. He observed his white T-shirt. Cuts and bruises littered Omi’s left side. That must’ve been the side of impact. If Omi had gone under the wheels he would’ve been dead for sure.
He slowly got to his feet, a headache plagued his senses as he began to gauge his surroundings. It seemed as if he had washed up next to what remained of the docks. He limped his way to the remains of the steps, and climbed onto the same level as the city.

The city was heavily damaged from what he could see. He stopped and sat for a few moments still in shock. After another few moments he began a slow walk into the city. Some else had to still be alive. As he set out a deep resonating noise emanated from his pocket. He slowly reached down into his jeans and pulled out a stone. It held the color of a deep blue. When his skin touched it a shiver went up his spine. Curious about the item that made it into his pocket he decided to keep it for now. Plus for some odd reason he felt as if he should be the one holding on to it. Omi shook his head. If It hampered him in the slightest he would toss it end of story.

Omi raised his voice and called for anyone that might be near. “Anyone out here?” He inquired with a raised voice. he could see very few people moving around, he assumed there would be more survivors congregating at the heart of the city. That or atleast hed find someone who would know where help was waiting.

Rin had been outside of the shrine she lived in, praying that nothing bad would happen just when everything went down.

Of course, she had never been a lucky one and just as she ended her prayer, something to her far left exploded. All she remembered feeling was a rush of heat and a roaring boom that echoed in her mind. She had been knocked out, just like that.

When she awoke, her gray eyes widened and looked everywhere she would. Darkness surrounded her. Not the normal dark that she was used to either. This was odd... And felt demonic even. The sky was dark and looming. Even if all she saw were shades of black and white (as she is color blind) this hurt her eyes more than normal.

Slowly she leaned up, her sore muscles refusing the whole time. Rin hissed in pain as she came to sit up and look around.

The ground was covered in rubble, buildings were tore apart and any plant life that was there before was either burnt or not even there. The air was thick with dust and debris.

She rubbed at her eyes. Maybe it was a dream? When she opened her eyes she was harshly proven wrong.

Looking down at herself, she was not much better looking than the city around her.

She was bruised, the dark splotches on her pale skin looked almost angry. The frilly dress that one of the woman of the shrine had called 'Blue' was torn and frayed. The hair that was always up in perky ponytails was now drooping down sadly. She lifted her hand to her cheek where she felt an awful stinging and found blood on her hand. Rin also saw such blood on her legs and through rips of her shirt. Lastly, she felt around the back of her head to feel a bump had formed there. She must have hit the ground hard.

Rin stood on unsteady legs and almost fell back down. She quickly came to the realization that there had been other women living in the shrine and gasped. The nineteen year old almost cried out when she saw the building had crumbled and collapsed to the ground. She also knew that there was no way the woman could have survived for it had been late when she was praying and they had all been asleep.

Biting her lip, she almost fell to the ground again as her legs wobbled.

Out of her corner she spotted something glowing, which was unusual.

Rin stumbled over to the Koi pond they had at the shrine and looked down in the mucky water to find the glowing coming from within.

Reaching her hand inside she grabbed a hold of the glowing object.

The teen's eyes widened at the object. It was freezing. It looked like some sort of jewel or rock, but it also resembled ice. It glowed calmly.

The cold from the jewel slowly seeped into her skin and chilled her to the bone. Rin couldn't let go though and before she knew it, she was so cold that she had fell right back into the dark of unconsciousness.

(Sorry its long :P)

The smell was what woke her. The scent of something burning--but more defined--the smell of someone burning. Hair and flesh. The pain hit her only afterward--and Fuu realized with a gasp of agony that the smell was her.

Slightly panicked, the girl began to try to roll as they had taught them in school to do. But something heavy pinned her legs beneath her. Groping in her eternal darkness, she felt roughness from the heavy object--like broken plaster, there was the distinctly grainy texture of wood which was proven by the tiny splinters she could feel pressing themselves into her already flame-tender skin. A broken door with part of a wall? That was her best guess--and finding the dented and squashed coolness of metal against her thigh--her guess was proven correct. With noted effort, Fuu wriggled herself out from under the door, all the while, the burning smell was no less repugnant. Her nose crinkled up and she gagged, urging herself not to be ill.

Once free, she felt the ground around her--only to find it not dirt as she had expected--but another new texture. It was light. Warm. Burning hot in some cases. Again, she felt her hands singing, blistering from heat. Ash. And once she had a name for it--it became obvious. Hugging herself, disliking how much she felt her handicap at the moment, she plunged into the unknown. She couldn't be sure what exactly she was rolling in. Broken glass, ash, splintered wood, rusted nails and the like--she could guess. But at least the burning sensation that had crept up the back of her head in a terrifying manner ceased. The smell, however, lingered--trapped in her nostrils. Fuu took in deep breaths, only to find her lungs filled with dust, and ash, tossing her into a coughing fit. What had happened?

Fuu sat, hugging herself and quietly, determinedly, began to think back. She had been in her new apartment, just down the street from the major subway and a small but well supplied shopping market. She had loved her new place, and her new sense of independence. Fuu's parents had naturally been worried--especially after having lost her older twin, Jin, to a fire recently--but Fuu had only ever proven herself self sufficient. She had been here a week when a heat wave began. Being blind, she was acutely aware of subtle changes others might miss. Like tap water being a little more warm than usual, or the slight smell of sulfur as the bath ran, or the tiny tremors in the earth that others might entirely miss. She had felt all that--but upon expressing her concerns, they were shushed away as nothing. But when the explosion sounded--for a moment, deafening her sensitive ears--and then the shaking--this was not nothing. There had been horrible sounds all around. Screaming and crashing, the sound of chaos and death. Fuu had been overwhelmed--and having wrapped herself in her shawl to flee--heard a loud ominous crack. Her building must have collapsed. And somehow, by some grace of God or otherwise--she had managed to survive. Thankfully, her building hadn't been very tall. Perhaps that had been what saved her.

But the question now was--what now? Fuu coughed lightly, pulling her shawl in close to try and block out some of the bad air. First thing was first. She had to be mobile. Fuu took a moment to take in her wounds, burns along the back of her neck, arms and hands--and as she stood, a sharp pain in her calf--possibly a sprain or if she was lucky only a charlie horse. She was certain some of her toes were broken, and the side of her face was definitely bleeding, probably her lip as well--but otherwise--she felt lucky to escape with such minor injuries. Fuu cautiously reached out, seeking out something to lean on. The first thing she came across was spongy, and wet--and to her horror--she recalled that her roommate had been napping before this all happened. Now, she would nap forever. Wiping the blood from her hands onto her shawl, Fuu gingerly sought with her hands again--eventually finding thick, round, long piece of metal that would serve her well enough as a walking stick. As she pulled it from it's wedge, she heard something jingle inside of it. The sudden sound breaking the inhuman silence made her jump a little. Apparently, it was a hallow piece of pipe, and perhaps a rock had wedged into it. Fuu shook the pipe again, holding her hand under the bottom until the object fell into her palm. Fuu was glad to find it wasn't something disgusting, like a bug or rodent skull--but a smooth round object that vaguely reminded her of the feel of a piece of quartz she held once--but it was much more dense. She rubbed the object curiously, wondering what it was. It was then that a slight breeze seemed to pick up, carrying with it--across the unnerving silence--a voice. Someone else had survived. Fuu scolded herself mentally, but of course others would live. Pocketing the strange round object, Fuu pushed her weight on the pole and began to slowly pick her way toward the sound.

(Sorry it's long XD I got excited)

Kuro awoke with a groan. "Whose train hit the place?" He joked to himself. He opened his eyes slowly. All was dark except for a small shaft of light coming through a crack in whatever was in front of him. He couldn't remember what happened or why his entire body ached so badly. He moved some rubble from on top of him, got to his feet in the enclosed space he was in and searched around. All he found was his pack and a jammed door.

Then it hit him. Everything that had happened. He had awoken to a loud rumbling and the hotel he was in shaking. He had looked out the window of his third floor room to see Mt. Fuji erupting. He grabbed his pack and bolted for the small walk-in closet, shutting the door just as everything collapsed.

Kuro stared at nothing for a moment. "That certainly explains the headache." He kicked at the door till it gave way and broke to pieces. His room had been ruined and half the hotel had collapsed. He picked up his pack and walked to where a wall was missing. as he looked out, he saw the rest of the city in complete ruin. He looked at the collapsed half of the hotel and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. A train had actually crashed through the hotel. "Well shit, I didn't mean it literally. It was a joke."

He walked out of what was left of his hotel room and started to climb down through the ruble. A few minutes later he stepped down by the crashed train. Taking this moment to look over himself he saw multiple bruises over his body, some minor scratches, and some nasty cuts by his left eye, on his arms and legs, and across his chest. He stretched, causing every bone and muscle in his body to ache even more.

Then something caught his eye. A faint glow by one of the trains cargo compartments. He walked over to it and crouched down. It was a strange little stone. He picked it up and stared at it. The stone had rough edges and was slightly colored a dark green-purple. It looked almost as if it was made of crystal. "Strange", Kuro said aloud. He set his pack down and opened it. Everything was still there, his supplies, books, and weapons. He placed the strange stone in one of the inner pockets, then closed the pack and put it back on. "Now, let's see who's still alive. I still have a job to do after all." He got up and walked away.

There was no light. No sound. It was all black.

Kouta tried to open her eyes. She couldn't. Or, at least, that's what she thought. She moved forward, carefully, slowly. She gently hit something. Then, she realized this wasn't death. The house she was in, happy and bright just a few moments ago, was now pitch dark and she was moving around in it. Her eyes were adjusting to the darkness though, and Kouta looked down. What she hit...was the newly deceased body of the friend she had been visiting. The girl did not scream, didn't flinch. She simply had a moment of silence and stepped over the body, leaving it behind. Now it was time to figure out what had happened. She flicked her ears slightly, ashes flaking off of them. Kouta made her way over to the door, but it was blocked from the outside. There was only a window she had to break to get out.

"Oh well." Picking up the nearest heavy object (a book, to be precise), she threw it at the window, smashing it open. Hopefully, the book didn't hit anyone on the street. Carefully, Kouta broke the rest of the glass out, and climbed over the ledge, seeing what had actually happened.

Rocks were everywhere. Fires. Cooling lava. Mt. Fuji had erupted.

She could not stay here. With her ears, she was easy to spot. And that could mean trouble. Swiftly, she looked around. It was completely vacant. But, there was something on the ground that caught her eye. A blue-green stone with an electric yellow blue in the middle. She didn't know why, but Kouta could not stop herself from picking the stone up. It sent an electrical shock through her, but Kouta refused to let go. When nothing else happened, the girl simply put it in her pocket and set off to face the unknowns of the recently devastated Japan.

It took a lot of his strength--- ALL of his strength, actually, But eventually, Sai managed to shift a large pile of rubble by hand.
As he heaved aside the last of the rubble, a shaft of gentle purple light seeped into the dark cavern in which he had been trapped. It was the light of dawn. With a few short pants, he summoned the energy needed to pull himself up, into the outside.

The first thing he noticed was the air. Fresh, beautiful air. He gulped down mouthfuls of the air, elated to be inhaling something other than dust and ash.
He collapsed almost instantly onto his back, resting for a moment, and just gazing up at the sky. It was very cloudy, overcast. And yet the break of dawn was a force the clouds could not stop. Here and there, small patches of lights were visible, seeping their way into the atmosphere. Small pieces of light debris were floating through the air in the breeze, falling gracefully from some unseen source. Sai squinted curiously at them, as a few appeared to be on fire. Like the small strips of flaming ash that one would see when watching a bonfire.

After a few moments of returning to a resting state, Sai mustered up the courage to look around, Something he had been avoiding, in fear of what he may see. As soon as he turned his head, his fears were instantly confirmed... and then some.
What he saw was an image that would stay with him for all of time. A baron landscape of heaps of dark grey rubble, littered with more heaps of rubble, in different shades of grey. Patches of warm glowing light could be seen at regular intervals on the horizon.. Fires. There were lots of fires. And lots of ruins too..

A deep shiver crawled up Sai's spine as he began to put two and two together. He craned his neck painfully up, to stare at the great guardian, Mount Fuji, and saw all he needed to see. The glowing embers at the peak, and the deep chasms running down it's rocky edges were confirmation enough. This was an eruption. No doubt about it...

He ran his hand into his pocket, and quickly pulled out the small stone he had found moments ago, and stared deeply into it, getting lost in the small light within, that seemed so vast, almost like staring at an entire universe through a crystal ball.. It was truly, remarkably beautiful. But certainly an oddity the likes of which he had never seen before. Surely it was physically impossible for a stone to emit such light, without a source of energy?

As he plunged deep into thought, Sai felt his throat clasp shut as he tried to swallow the trace amounts of Saliva in his mouth. And it suddenly hit him that he had no idea how long it had been since he had last drank anything. So, without hesitation, he returned the stone to his pocket, and struggled to his feet. He began to stagger off towards the ocean. Even salt water seemed more appealing than no water at all, right now.

As he made his way closer to the shore, he could have sworn he heard a voice. A distant echo of another human being, and suddenly- He wasn't feeling so alone.

In the end, breaking free from his earlier prison did not give Dan the freedom he thought to find. Sure, the boy did not expect a paradise full of palm trees and such to greet him. But, the town seemed more dull and grey compared to that small, comfortable although head aching room full of rubble. Still, it was nice to breath some fresh air, rather then a gigantic heap of dust.

A huge, depressed, sigh left Dan's mouth. The town was in ruins. Gigantic heaps of ashes, rubble and rocks were scared all over the settlement. The dawning sun that slowly crawled up in the sky, had set the mood perfectly for the scenery. A sad, gloomy mood that grabbed Damien entirely. With his eyes, the boy scanned his surroundings. Mt. Fuji, in all its glory, was spewing out hot, steaming and gleaming magma. It was no secret what caused this disaster.

For now, the rubble Damien had shovelled to the side with his bare hands. And sometimes the occasional shovel-shaped rock. Appeared to be the perfect place to rest some more, before venturing out and investigate that extreme, unnatural occurrence. And it was as if gravity itself wished for Dan to sit down, even the pile of rubble made shook a little from the boy's dropping motion. And then he remembered, that rock... thing. The one that was glowing oh-so brightly into the distance. Did he just dream that all up? Or was it just the mind-numbing air and the few rays of light coming down from various cracks, that formed the illusion of that rock?

Damien raised his left hand to eye level once more. Maybe it was just some of his sweat, and the heat in the room made that sizzling sound? The boy shook his head in disbelief. Yet, how else could it be explained. If it really was what he thought it was, then his hand, or at the very least his finger should have melted off. With another shake of his confused head, Damien stood up from his relaxing position. Though before even attempting to walk somewhere, he shoved his left hand in the left pocket of his jeans. He still wasn't quite sure about what was real, and what was just plain, old mind trickery...

With his free hand, Damien adjusted his headphones, who were in a surprisingly good state. Considering a mountain just erupted. And it still seemed to be working, which meant that Dan wouldn't be sitting in a wasteland without music, superb.

“But, what about-” The boy started slapping his jeans excessively. He had lost something. “Where...?” False alarm, it seemed the chain had partially wrapped itself around Damien's leg. It was one of those things Dan called 'His Treasure.' even though it had a value of zero. The chain was made out of six rings, each ring carrying one token, or symbol. Every one of them told something about who Damien is as a person, his life and many other things. It's like a book, only you use small objects, instead of a large amount of words or pictures to tell the story.

Now, having finally resolved that tiny dilemma. Dan moved his feet without any focus on where to go. He just wanted to go somewhere, kind of like a 'Anything, but.' situation. Though instead of anything, it was more of a 'Anyone'. Still, that seemed like a far ways off, considering the slim chance someone has on surviving eruptions. Let alone any other natural disaster that could occur.

“Still, it is better to remain optimistic about the situation. You can never know when someone pops up out of the ground...”

As she woke again, she felt different. Not bad different either. Sure, her body was absulutley freezing; Ice cold even, but it felt good.

Rin's small body laid there for a while, a little exhausted. Coughing out, she noticed her breath came out as steam, like ones would in the winter time.

"What the heck?" she whispered and watched as more steam came out. She was amazed by the fact that even in the heat of the fire she felt cool and that her breath was also cold.

Blinking, the color blind nineteen year old looked down to her hand when a sharp pain stabbed into it.

There was the little ice crystal from before. Rin stared at it for a while and frowned. Where did the glow go? Had she imagined it the whole time? It would be possible. What type of color blind girl could see an odd glow? Some one probably dropped it before the eruption.

She sighed out again and decided to pocket the crystal for the time being. Well, since her dress was ripped and had no pockets she stuffed it into her bra, a red hue on her face from embarrassment. Not that you could tell for her cheeks were stained with blood.

Getting up and moving to the front of the shrine was time consuming because her injury's caused her more of a hassle. Making her way down the stairs to the shrine was something completely different. As she stepped forward she tripped over a crack in the stone and tumbled downward.

Rin winced and stayed sitting on the ground, holding her back.

"Step on a crack and break your mothers back, my butt! More like step on a crack, fall down some stairs and then break your back." she groaned.

Rin was sure she couldn't stand now. She swore under her breath and mustered up as much energy as she could and screamed, "Help!? Any survivors?!"

Nothing came and she frowned.

"Help?" she whispered and poked at the mist that came out of her mouth.

Fuu had never been so grateful to be blind in her whole life. Picking her way through the debris--she had stumbled across more bodies--or possibly even parts of bodies than she cared to count.Each time she would prod them gently (or sometimes stumble over them not so gently.) and wait for a response. A moan. A groan. She would have even welcomed crying--or a sound of agony. Something. But only silence greeted her.

Fuu turned her face up to the sky and tried to imagine what sort of chaos was around her. Surely fires--she could smell those. Bodies and debris for sure. Ash, most certainly. But, it was difficult to imagine a world you had never had the chance to see. Only read about and imagined. (She wondered if any of her braille books had survived for a moment in this thought.) Maybe--in this way she was blessed. To never witness destruction. Only to hear it. Imagine it. Fuu chuckled grimly to herself and moved on, straining her ears for sound. For voices. She could only hear the faint crackle of fires around her and the occasional howling of the wind. She felt her long hair, still tied in ponytails on each side of her face (lopsided by now, she was sure.), fluttering in the breeze.

She sighed, resting against what felt like an overturned, crushed car and put her hand in her pocket. There, the strange round object rolled into her hand, reminding her it was there. Fuu took it out, wide sightless eyes miming an ability they lacked, "looking" at the object as she tried to imagine it. Perhaps it was shiny? She had heard that was nice. Her scorched fingertips brushed its cool surface gingerly, helping her form a mental image. It was small, about the size of a shooter marble--but not as perfectly round. Her sensitive fingers made out a strange set of markings on the object, at its heart, spiraling around and around. As she traced these markings--she felt as if the stone grew lighter in her hand. But how could that be? Curious, Fuu continued the motion, around and around with her fingertip. Like a tiny top, the object seemed to follow; spinning faster and faster on her palm--until Fuu no longer needed to touch it and it spun on its own.

In Fuu's ears, there suddenly came a roaring of wind. The long shawl wrapped about her pulled against her, flapping and snapping in the sudden wind, her hair too beat itself against her face as Fuu held the object aloft in her palm. Slightly frightened--she tried to throw the strange thing--only to find its' weight no longer within her hand. As suddenly as it came, the bizarre whirlwind died out, only leaving the traces of a faint, smokey breeze in the air. Fuu clenched her left hand where the object had been, as if making sure it wasn't still there. But truly, it had vanished. But now, she clenched and unclenched her hand feeling an odd new marking there. Raised like a scar--a spiral shape of her skin had formed where the object had once been. The girl "stared" at her palm in disbelief. If she hadn't felt it--she wouldn't have believed it. Something strange had just happened--either that--or she had finally lost it. The breeze seemed to change direction now, and on it --

"Help?" A small voice. This time Fuu was certain of it. Forgetting the object for a moment, Fuu leaned against her make-shift staff and carried on toward the sound. Carefully, she climbed over what she could only figure used to be pieces of the nearby shrine. She had walked this way many times now--and had visited the shrine at least four times since arriving. Good luck. Or so she had thought. Carefully, she picked her way over what felt like a fallen gate--or maybe a tree and paused, listening for any more voices. Trying to confirm what she had heard.

Rin had sat there for a good ten minutes in complete silence. She was worried no one would ever come to find her. Maybe she was the last one?

“Bad thoughts.” she whispered to herself and shook her head.

Just then, the wind picked up, whipping her sad excuse for pigtails around messily. She looked around for any signs of anything in particular but nothing came. The wind changed course out of nowhere and drifted over the shrine's hill. Leaning over to the side, the girl watched for any sign of life.

Just her luck, a head bobbed up and a girl stood there. She had gray hair, pale gray skin and dark gray eyes. She wondered what real colors they were. It wasn't the time for that though, there was actually another human alive!

“Hey! Over here!” she called loudly, waving at the older looking girl.

Her eyes didn't seem to meet anything and for a moment Rin wondered if the teen was a fragment of her imagination. Maybe a hallucination made in her mind to calm her down. Making her think such fake but believing things was a mean trick for her to play on herself.

“Can you hear me?” she yelled, her voice was broken from lack of moisture around.

Please mind, don't you dare play tricks on me now of all times. She thought to herself, still staring at the gray shaded girl.

Fuu had started to think she had only heard things after all, when a shrill girlish shout came from her left.

"Hey! Over here!"

Fuu "looked" in the direction the sound came from, trying her best to appear approachable. Though, she was sure she probably was a sight to see. Her lip had crusted over with blood, she could taste the metallic tang of it, and sweat had begun to bead her brow from the effort of climbing over debris. Still, she did her best to smile, raise her eye brows and headed toward the sound. As she drew closer to the girl's voice, sounds of her movement came as well. She must have been frantically moving around--trying to draw Fuu closer. Fuu's lips twitched as she surpressed a laugh. It wasn't unusual for people not to realize her handicap until she got very close. She was told that her large blue eyes still seemed so focused and attentive that it was unnerving. In her own way, Fuu, could see. It was like a good book--and she conjured up the "characters" of her life in her mind, touching, listening she created them.

"Can you hear me!" the girl's voice cracked with her shout--but she was so close that it made Fuu's sensitive ears ring. Fuu winced a little.

"Yes...I can hear you very clearly." Fuu's voice was strangely sweet and soft. There was a hint of rasp from the bad air--but it was clear her voice had a somewhat bell-like quality to it. Sensing she had drawn near enough to the girl, Fuu stopped, leaning on her metal pipe. She gave a small smile. "But I'm afraid you shouldn't waste your energy moving around like you are. I can't see it." Unused to talking much, Fuu waited to hear the girl's reaction. And waited to see if this girl was safe, was alone. In chaos--she knew--people became like animals and acted on instinct. As such, she was understandably wary.

"Yes...I can hear you very clearly.But I'm afraid you shouldn't waste your energy moving around like you are. I can't see it." the girl had said and Rin then understood. She slapped her hand to her face, feeling terrible. Of course she had her own disability but only seeing shades was better then not seeing at all.

"I'm sorry." she whispered nervously and did what she did best; ramble uselessly. "I just thought you were a hallucination, that this was a dream but then that crystal... I mean, you showed up so it's okay now? I can't see 'colors' so I sort of understand. You're alone so I guess I'm the first person you found too. I'm alone here."

She stared up at the girl from under her hand and guessed for her to be around eighteen or nineteen. On the inside Rin huffed. She looked like a fifteen year old and this girl was most likley the same age as her and looked about that age. Why was the world so cruel!?

'Wait! What am I doing thinking about this? Mt. Fuji errupted and now I finally find another survivor! What's wrong with me!' she scolded herself on the inside.

She huffed and took a minute to calm down. Rin was getting far ahead of herself to the point where she would be thought of as annoying.

"Sorry, just got excited." she smiled at the girl but frowned when she remembered she couldn't see it.

Omios limped along for a small amount of time before he took a small break. The pain that he was working through sapped at his strength. It hurt to say it but Omi would need to find somewhere safe. Even if that meant turning back. The buildings were barely standing. Some had almost come down on top of him. Still he limped on, cradling his two injured ribs. His breathing was slightly labored. He seemed fine, but the further away he got from the shore, the more his strength dissapated. He was actually feeling as if he was struck by a car.

It felt like a pressure was building up in Omi's head as he stopped to take a small break. With a slightly calmer state of mind he called out for help once more. When he heard no response the pressure in his head peaked. A nearby firehydrant exploded. Water gushed out, it seemed as if it was alive. Omi wondered if the waterlines had been damaged as well. He walked over and cupped his hands under the torrent. Instead of the water slipping through his fingers a perfect pool remained in his cupped hands. He drank quickly, realizing he must've been passed out on the beach for a long time. He must've been suffering without even knowing it, he took a few more gulps of water. Once Omi was done he shook his hands trying to dry them off in a crude manner. Once he did little droplets remained suspended mid-air.

This time Omi noticed it. He was very confused. He poked at the droplets, losing concentration they fell to the ground. Omi thought he was still in shock, that he was going insane. he disregarded this and stayed calm. People halucinated all of the time. Then again there was that rock that kept on resonating in his pocket. It was almost like someone was whispering to him, singing a lullaby.

The roar of the water continued onwards. If this didn't attract any survivors, nothing would. He stepped into what remained f rom a nearby store, and made a make-shift sling out of clothes. He grabbed a few bottles of water and put them in the sling. If he was going to leave soon he thought it would be smart to prepare. Most of the store had already been looted. No packs, no flashlights, no food. Only some T-shirts and a few bottles of water, but hey Omi would take whatever he could get.

Omi came out into the ashen world that lay before him. He walked back to the hydrant, the water wasn't gushing out nearly as much anymore. He winced and thought that was one water source that couldn't be used again.

"I'm sorry." the girl whispered nervously. Fuu frowned. She didn't like pity. It rubbed her entirely the wrong way. For a moment, she thought about turning and leaving the girl there but then the talking started. Fuu listened as the girl began to ramble. Rarely had she ever heard someone talk so quickly all at once. But Fuu found herself unable to stop the small smirk that came to her battered lips. This girl reminded her of her passed sister, in a small way. Or maybe Fuu just missed Jin in this time of crisis. Fuu shook her head and made a small throat clearing sound.

"It's okay..." Fuu assured her. Though, she wasn't sure what part of the rambling she was assuring her on. It's okay that I couldn't see you? It's okay that there was an eruption? It's okay that we're both alone? Or it's okay that you excitedly chattered until the air was filled with your embarrassment?

But Fuu was never much for words anyway. She was a much better listener. It was good information that the girl claimed to be alone. Listening, Fuu heard no others. But some of what the girl said sounded a bit--strange. What did she mean a crystal? The girl was probably in shock. "What is your name?" Fuu paused, hesitantly but threw caution to the wind as this girl did not at all sound threatening, "I'm Fuu."

“What is your name?” the stranger had asked and then introduced herself as Fuu.

“Oh! Well, I'm Rin.” said girl introduced herself. “It is good to meet you, I just wish it was under better circumstances.”

Rin tried not to get distracted by the cool-looking mist that kept coming out of her mouth and paid attention to the girl. She was really out of it, it seemed. Yes she was normally talkative and hyper but she had never felt so strangely cold or embarrassed. Of course it had to happen in front of such a nice looking girl as well.

“So, how did you end up here? I mean, do you know any other survivors?” she bit her lip nervously.

Maybe if there were others she knew of then they wouldn't be so bad off? If not, Rin knew they would have to search, but then there was the problem of her not being able to walk. At this time, the small girl really had no clue of what to do. So much was going on and she was confused. This was worse then the time her aunt had tried to explain colors to her.

Oh no... Her Aunt!

Would she be okay? She was technically the only family she had left since her parents gave her away. She would have to ask Fuu if they could search some time. Maybe after they found more survivors or went back to whoever Fuu knew?

Also, what was up with the crystal she had hidden in her dress?

Things were confusing Rin and she was getting a headache because of it.

Yes, at the moment: Life sucked.

Struggling to stay awake, Elise shook her head; gasping when a crushing headache and pain, lots of it, registered in her brain. Well. That'll obviously keep me conscious. Now she could feel that she lay painfully curled up, like a child, under what she assumed to be mounds of rock, ash, and metal parts. She felt almost suffocated in her position, being surrounded by still-smoldering rubble and bits of rock took it's toll; although Elise was lucky she hadn't been touched by the lava. Attempting to open her eyes, she blinked a couple times before noticing that the area was shrouded in an unnatural, complete darkness. Not that she particularly minded, it was oddly soothing in her situation; nighttime had given her refuge and security in the days on the street. Nobody can see you, makes life so much better.

Taking a moment to rest and brace herself, Elise then slowly rolled out her body and rose into a sitting position, gritting her teeth at the sudden explosion of more pain. Her left arm, for instance, seemed almost cut off at a point; but she realized that it was just dislocated at an awkward angle, after exploring with her other intact arm. That's happened before. Now to fix it... She took a deep breath and coughed out dust, then began recounting the events that had happened just a little while ago that had landed her in a pitch-dark room, to take her mind off of what she was about to do. Elise remembered walking, the ear-piercing sound of an explosion, then the headlights of a car as it's driver sat, freaked out, completely out of control; after that, she drew a blank. So it crashed into me, and I flew through a window into a building? What luck.

Abruptly, she snapped her arm back into place, clenching her teeth hard to stop from crying out. But at least it's fine now. Pushing away some rubble on her legs, Elise took her time to stand up while assessing the rest of her minor injuries. Sighing at her blood-soaked shirt and capris, she started feeling her way around the broken room, ever so often stumbling and occasionally catching herself from tripping. Slightly dizzy from blood loss, she wondered in boredom of what the world outside was like. Wouldn't it be interesting if it were the end of the world? Trapped in these thoughts, Elise stumbled and, to catch herself, she grasped onto a orb-like object that rested on a large rock, an arms length away.

As it were, the orb didn't help her at all; so she landed squarely on her knees over small, broken shards of glass. Wincing, softly swearing and without pulling the edges out, she rose and painstakingly hobbled through an opening she'd found to the outside: the window she had entered through. With the approaching light in the sky, the state of the city finally dawned on Elise; the scene before her almost taking her breath away. A moment passed, the relative silence of the place stretching out, until she broke into uncontrolled, hoarse laughter. All her hatred to the city had been sated in this one, devastating blow; leaving behind pure, delightful satisfaction. As she approached the city, she saw one or two more survivors moving aimlessly through the wreckage. Are they thinking that someone will reach out, help them survive? What a joke. We were always alone, and if anything, even more now. She chuckled at the thought.

Entering into a nearby, semi-intact store, Elise hopped over rubble to the only things left: a change of clothes and multiple, carelessly thrown bandages on the floor. How frantic. How long was I out? Halfway through changing, she noticed that she was still grasping the round, slightly bumpy orb in her hand. Slightly intrigued, she treated her light cuts and pulled on clothes before taking a better look at the sphere.

It shone with darkness, radiating the calm and cold of the night, Elise's very own perception of it's security, and the risk that always ran from the night. Little bumps lay scattered on the surface of the orb, as if whatever monster inside had been trying to get out; disfiguring the otherwise perfect sphere. A limitless scene of darkness could be seen inside the circle, easy to get lost in; like how Elise had trouble tearing her eyes away. In fascination, she kept the orb and stowed it in a pant pocket, otherwise leaving the place empty-handed. Time stretched as she wandered around, now used to the dull throbbing that every movement caused. She had just passed by a hotel that was half destroyed by a train before she saw another survivor, this one with a pack. Shrugging, she continued her wandering. Meh, I'll deal with things as they come. Connections to other people? As if I'd even bother.

Pain.
A harsh shooting pain that ran right up Sai's legs, in lightning fast time.
That was all he felt as his knees crashed against the shattered concrete on the ground.
He couldn't walk any further than this, his legs must have given way under the weight of his own body. He reached out, and slowly rolled up one leg of his, once blue, jeans. He flinched a little as he revealed a large gash, surrounded by clotted burgundy blood. The congealed substance was begin to scab over in a few patches.

A few metres away, he could see the ocean, the waves crashing against the shore, as they always had done. Business as usual for the sea.
He heaved out a heated sigh, and felt his eyes sting a little, after so much prolonged exposure to the dirt in the air.
His leg continued to throb painfully, but then again, so did most of his limbs. It was at times like these that Sai would happily welcome death. Times of great pain. Physically and emotionally.

With his left hand, Sai scooped up a small chunk of a destroyed building, and hurled it towards the ocean, where it fell into the water, with a satisfying 'plop'.
A small smile crept it's way across his face, as he took satisfaction in such a small sound. There was very little to smile about in such dire circumstances, But it was either smile or cry- and he didn't feel like crying right now.
Sai clasped his hand around another piece of the rubble, and once again thrust his hand outwards, sending it hurtling towards the waves.
But this time, Sai heard not the gentle plop of earth and water meeting one another, but rather, silence... His eyes grew wide as he stared up at the rubble he had just thrown, suspended in mid air, completely ignoring gravity, and it's rules.

One sharp edge of the stone began to glow with a white light, which spread its way across the surface of the stone, until it hung in the sky, shimmering, like a tiny sun. This magnificently beautiful sight lasted only miliseconds though, before the stone dissolved into a substance that resembled stardust, and drifted off in the breeze.

Not daring to close his eyes, Sai felt his tongue grow dry as his jaw hung ajar in shock, and awe. What just happened there? Was he still disillusioned from the eruption... He must have been seeing things...
This thought process didn't last long though, as it was interrupted quickly by a rattling blast. Sai swung his head in the direction of the noise, just in time to see a geyser of water hurl itself into the air.
It was coming from just a few streets over. (At least, that's what he assumed, as there weren't any truly distinguishable streets anymore.)

As curiosity grasped him firmly by the collar, he felt himself being pulled to his feet by some instinctive force, and he began to walk stiffly towards the water...

Omi calmly sat down and rested. He seemed rejuvinated after getting something to drink. The blood running down the side of his head had only slightly started drying. Omi knew head wounds bled a lot so he tried not to grow concerned with his own well being. His ribcage is what concerned him. Every part of his body had bruises and cuts. His left leg was still hurting, but he would live. However if the left side of his ribs were indeed broken he worred one of his ribs would collapse a lung if he wasn't careful. He just needed to take it easy.

He got to his feet just in time to notice a light in the sky shimmering. It blazed for a few moments before winking out of existence. Omi didn't trust his own eyes, he feared he may be suffering from brain damage, but he still got to his feet for investigation. If there was someone else that knew what the hell was going on around here, than he wouldn't be so dead set on the fact of his insanity. He knew Fuji had erupted, that was all about Omi was able to find out. He didn't know if rescue teams were on the way, and he most definately didn't know if there were any forms of life still roaming the streets. As he neared the spot where the light originated from his stone glowed ever so slightly before a small voice scratched at his ear. He again assumed it was his imagination. It seemed as if a presense was coming from the blue rock that now rested in his palm. Slowly the rock began to hum, when it reached the peak of noise it was whisked away into his hand as it disolved into water quite suddenly. He shook his hand but it was already dry.

The stone had seemingly vanished. He shook his head and continued walking. The scent of the ocean breeze gave him new found confidence. Something Omi never usually had in situations like this. It seemed as if he was walking in the right direction. As he rounded the corner he saw someone in the distance.

"Hey? Are you alright?" Omi called over the silent expanse that layed between them. Omi wasn't one concerned with his own wounds. He was one to be concerned with the well being of others.

Kuro heard something behind him as he walked and turned around in time to see a girl with jet black hair turning away from him and continuing on her way. He stared at her for a bit, then shrugged. "She saw and said nothing. She has her reasons for that", he muttered to himself. He continued the way he was going. I get this weird feeling I'll be seeing her again anyways. I'll just leave things be for now, he thought. "I wonder who else is left out here...."

He pulled one of his books out of his pack and started reading as he walked, making sure to take the smoothest path through the ruined city. After a short time he put his book away and climbed to the top of a mostly intact building to have look around. When he got to the top he sat down to rest. Suddenly he saw a geyser of water rocket into the air a distance away. "Hmm..."

Kuro got up and headed for the torrent of water shooting to the sky. He decided to travel by rooftop. It took him some time to traverse the treacherous rooftops of buildings and get the source of the geyser in sight. It looked like a firehydrant had exploded. He noticed two other people on the street. They both looked to be in pretty bad shape.

Rin waited patiently, although still thinking of her aunt, for Fuu to answer. Instead of getting said answer, a new voice spoke out and caused Rin's head to flick towards it.

“I couldn't help but slightly overhear your conversation. You were looking for survivors?” the voice called and Rin's eyes widened, her mouth became a small smile. Another survivor!

He had dark gray-ish black hair. Dark eyes like Fuu and pale skin. She could tell he was thin under the clothing he wore. Said clothing consisted of some of fabric that didn't exactly look like leather but something different and some dark jeans. Also, a pair of headphones were positioned on his head. He was quite a stunning person from Rin's eyes but really... What colors did he wear? Was that dark hair actually something 'bright'? All this aside, Rin continued listening to what he had to say.

“And here I thought everyone got him or herself abducted, leaving me to take care of this huge world. Shame, really.” He had waved, dropped from the ledge he was on and gave a little bow. When he rose, he leaned back against the wall.

Rin really couldn't think of what to say, so all she did was chuckle nervously. Really, what could she do? It wasn't like she could jump up and scream for joy, her back was in bad shape. She wouldn't start crying in relief, that was just dumb.

“Thank god...” she whispered and smiled at the boy err- Man? She looked up at Fuu and gave her a bright smile, even if she wouldn't see it, and said, “Fuu, another survivor! We aren't that bad off. I mean, if he's here who else could there be. Maybe tons of people?”

Try to be positive, this is a good thing. She thought to herself in relief.

All he felt was excruciating pain from his head. Nothing more, nothing less. He couldn't feel his body, he couldn't even tell if he was alive. Hell, he didn't even know who he was. All of these questions, these thoughts, and yet all the answers were wiped from his mind. No previous thoughts than the pain. He tried to remember, to get even one flash from a previous life that was ripped from him. The pain got worse; almost brought him back to the world of the unconscious, and then he remembered one thing.

Sav. His name.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sav finally opened his brown eyes for the first time since he was semi-conscious. All he saw was ash. It was in the air, coating the still burning trees, and him as well. Sitting up, he felt the best he had ever in a long time. The pounding in his head had finally dulled down to a low-key throb, something that he could easily ignore. Sav quickly gave his body a once over, noticing that the only problem was the large gash in his head, that sluggishly dripped blood onto his now red-stained shirt.

I'll have to bandage that soon, so I don't pass out from blood loss, although something makes me think that I already have, he thought, tearing a strip off of a sweatshirt that was lying a few feet away. It was probably his, but he couldn't care less. Staggering to a standing position, his makeshift hand bandage in place, Sav started to make his way over to...well, anywhere. As long as he got out of this place. He finally froze when he realized what his surroundings were. Ash still coated everything, but even anyone as clueless as Sav could realize that behind him was a palace, or at least the scattered remains of a palace.

His mind was going a hundred mile an hour, trying to process what this meant. Was he royalty? Or was he just a servant? Or was he a thief, trying to break into the palace, and take advantage of the unguarded valuables?

Or even more disturbing, was he trying to murder the emperor?

Sav had to decide; be stuck trying to figure out the past, or try to move on and plot out his future. Of course, he picked the one that could ultimately lead to hid death: Learn his past. Stumbling towards the palace, Sav noticed something hidden behind a half crumbled wall. Changing his direction, he went right, instead of forward or backwards, and towards the only thing not covered in ash. A growing tree.

It's dark brown bark helped camouflage it among the ash, but nothing could hide the glowing green leaves, and the bright violet flowers blooming around them. The tree, or what ever it was, slowly was growing before Sav, something believed to be impossible. He walked up to it, and was surprised when he heard it speak.

"Ah, are you here, to try and destroy me as well, young one?" It, or she, asked, her voice sounding like the rustle of leaves in the wind.

Confused I answered, "Um, no. I'm not. Why would I want to kill the only thing green and growing?"

"Many of your race wish me dead, for they fear the things they can not control," she replied, a sound almost like a sigh escaping, "If you are not here to kill me, then why are you here?"

"I truly do not know. I only just 'woke up' as you may call it, and have no memory of my past life," Sav recalled, almost sadly.

"Hmm, no memory? Not at all? My, my, that is strange. Never in my time have I met a human with no memories. I would ask you to stay here, as your new home, but it seems my time in this world is coming to an end."

"What? Why?"

"This world no longer has the atmosphere for me to survive, seeing as the ash blocked out the sun. I mean, I can not stay here forever...unless you would be willing to help me out, young one,"

Sav was puzzled by this talking tree, but he could see what she meant. Already the petals on the flowers were wilting and falling to the ground, and the vibrant green leaves were changing all sorts of colors, and were swept off the tree by the powerful winds. Without his consent, his heart had already decided what mind was afraid to do.

"What ever you need, I will give to you, Miss..." He started.

"You may call me Chikyu. Are you willing to accept this Keiyaku? In fear of death if you fail?" She propositioned.

"Yes, I accept this Keiyaku."

Suddenly, all went dark.

Kouta sighed. It was so odd, with no people. She was in a normally busy part of town, you'd expect there to be more people. The streets were littered with bodies of all ages, genders, and race. It seemed that Mount Fuji had not discriminated. It was still dark outside, and it would probably be like this for quite a while. She started to blank out, just walk. As soon as that happened, a bullet shot out barely missing her ear. Kouta yelped, stopped, and turned towards where the shot had been fired. Even in this light, she could not be mistaken for an animal. She was too tall to be an animal. But why would this be the time to start shooting at her and waste ammunition?

There was an older man, no more than 45 however, with the gun pointed to take another shot. Kouta waited for the man's fingers to start pulling the trigger before she moved slightly to the left. The next shot missed. "Why are you doing this? I'm obviously not an animal." She couldn't turn her tail and run. He'd shoot her in the back. The man grinned, and Kouta realized why. He was a hunter, still wanting to get the money for the last of the Yamuri family. She was especially wanted.

"I want me money, girly. Now, if you'll just come 'long quiet, we'll both be happy." He laughed, low and dangerously. Kouta was scared, just a bit. What could she do? She can't take her eyes off this man, but then something happened. A sudden light appeared high in the sky, like the sun. The man turned around to look, and Kouta quickly fled. He'd be back to find her, and she knew it. But she couldn't deal with him now.She heard him cry out in frustration, and cursed as he looked for her. Kouta snuck into an alleyway, and stayed quiet as she could until the man disappeared.

But what was that light? She had to find it.

It looked like it was coming from the beach. Making sure she stayed out of sight, she silently made her way over to the beach. It did not take her long as she was only a few blocks away. She saw two people on the beach. Did one of them cast that light? Kouta didn't know...and she didn't want to confront them either. But it might be impossible at this point. White is an easy color to spot in this type of lighting, and she was out in the open...