Text The Afters

[Vanitas 127]

Chapter 1

The sun shined brightly, refracting rays off of the massive gleaming structures of Reikuya. Along the sandy path that lined and divided the urban from the suburb, walked a boy and a girl, both the age of 16. In their hands swinging to the rhythm of their footsteps were cans of bright vibrant paints. Down the sandy path they walked, finally stopping at where the sandy path met young new grass. Sitting in the middle of the small green field sat a small playground. A simple playground comprising of a two swing swing-set and an old slide on the hinge of rust. One might see it as an old pitiful sight but to the boy and the girl, it was like a warm fireplace in the hearth of a warm, snug house.

"Well. Lets get started Hikari" said the girl. She had a bright smile coupled with those words. Hikari smiled back. "Right." Hikari looked at the old swings and the despairing slide and realized the magnitude of the work ahead of him.

"This old playground really went to waste. Nothing like when we were kids right Saya?" As kids, those two had played with the very swings and the very slide that were slowly sliding into disrepair.

"Nothing at all" agreed Saya. "The slide used to be bright red and the seat of the swings blue."

"Standing around won't accomplish anything" said Hikari. He dipped his brush into a can of blue paint. "Lets show some Reikuya pride!"

Hikari flicked his brush in Saya's direction, spilling paint over her clothes. Hikari laughed as Saya cried out.

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After the sun had set and darkness rose, Hikari and Saya left, promising to return tomorrow to finish the job. As Hikari walked down the familiar black paved roads of Reikuya, a feeling that something had been forgotten tugged at him.

"My ring!" It was an old ring and Hikari has had it for as long as he could remember. Hikari had discovered it lying half buried in the sand, a black gem sitting at the ring's center. Something about the ring called out to him and so Hikari had kept it.

Hikari hurried back to playground but to his surprise, there was someone there. Hikari found a boy about his a age, maybe a little older sitting at the top of the slide, his legs dangling off the slide's ladder. In his right hand sat a ring which he was holding up to the moonlight. As Hikari approached, he could tell that it was his ring. The boy on the slide looked over to Hikari and smiled. It wasn't a warm smile. It was a calculating and amused one. Something inside Hikari stirred when he saw the boy's face.... a memory in his mind, pushing and burning, trying to fight its way surface.

Hikari hated him on sight.

Rolling the ring between his knuckles, the boy called out to Hikari. "Is this your ring?"

"Yes" replied Hikari neutrally. He didn't know who the boy was or what he wanted. A dozen thoughts ran through Hikari's head as to what he should do.

The boy cut through his thoughts. "You should take better care of your things. Someone might just steal it" The boy carelessly tossed the ring hand to hand.

Hikari remained neutral but a hint of his anger still shined through. It ran across his eyes, fast and fleeting but the boy had caught it.

The boy jumped down from the slide and landed gracefully on his feet.

"No need to get angry now!" he said with a mocking tone. "I wasn't going to ACTUALLY take it. But maybe I will." The boy looked at Hikari scoping for a reaction. He received none. The boy shrugged. He tossed the ring at Hikari and Hikari rushed to catch it.

"So you do care" said the boy. The smile had crept back onto his face. Hikari remained silent.

"Its not fun if you don't react. Takes the fun out of messing with you. Ah well. Reikuya is scripted to fall so any interaction I have will be meaningless. See you around,"

The boy walked foward but stopped next to Hikari. Up close Hikari could see his features more closely. He had black hair down to his eyebrow line. And the boy's eyes shined an unearthly yellow. And on his left ring finger sat a ring. One identical to Hikari's.

"The name is Izana" The boy whispered as if it was a great secret. "I am an After"

Izana laughed and strolled down towards the sandy path, leaving Hikari staring after him in confusion. "He has to be crazy" thought Hikari, trying to rationalize the situation. Yet what Izana had said seemed familiar.

"An After" whispered Hikari to himself.