Chapter 1: Another chance

 As the golden bright orb of light sunk beneath the horizon, disappearing below the line of ships, a pale white celestial titan appeared on the other end to replace it along with the many shining stars that littered the night sky, a dark portal that sucked in all light appeared in the sky a few feet above the ground, and out of it fell a colorless orb.

 This colorless orb drifted across many regions and stunning landscapes across Japan.

 First, it floated through a vast farm filled with beautiful golden yellow ripe wheat plants.

 Next, it floated through a dark and gloomy forest, filled with lush vegetation that further obstructed one's vision, casting shadows across the forest floor, and giving passing children the impression of scary ghosts roaming the night, causing them to trepidation and horripilation to burst out all over their innocent young skins as they quicken their pace and escape from the grasps of these imaginary spirits that haunt the forest.

 Lastly, it floated above a bustling and bright city, filled with towering skyscrapers with large screens adorned on their sides, displaying beautiful glowing colors with recognizable names and the flawless faces of the entertainment and sports industries along with the companies who sponsored them. 

 Yet, this would not be its final resting point nor where it would finally halt to rest after a long trip. No no no, instead it would dive below the surface, plunging beneath the brown dirt until it passed through a cylinder of grey concrete and metal into a passing train. There it would find its target, a striking young male with golden hair and dazzling aquamarine eyes that caused any who looked into it to be starstruck like the many young girls on that very same train staring in admiration and longing from afar and giggling to themselves like a couple of children.

 Upon finding its target, it finally stopped and entered the head of the young male, causing his eyes to widen in shock, something that was also very visible to his female admirers who quickly brushed it off, while muttering under their breaths "How cute, if only he was in my school". 

Aqua's POV

'Woah, what the heck just happened?!' I thought as I was suddenly whisked away from my conversation with Grim, having just bore witness to the gory abominations I unintentionally turned my lovers into. 

Looking down, I saw my smooth pale white hands, completely without callouses. Testing if my nervous system was all intact, I started to clench and unclench my hands, rolling them up into weapons of flesh and bone in the shape of a ball, before releasing them. Then, I tried to hone in on the senses in my toes, wiggling them about in my white shoes. Moving my hand up, I tried to feel the hole where my father had previously stabbed me, only to be met with soft bouncy flesh with no sign of a wound anywhere. Using my hands, I then lifted the hem of my white t-shirt below my light blue jacket, looking for any scars or markings of a stab wound, only to find that there was nothing there but my creamy skin that was gentle to the touch. Next, I peered into the train's window, looking at my faded reflection and the flawless face that many people, girls and boys alike, coveted intensely, no hints of a scar of slash anywhere. Whipping out my phone from my pocket, I looked at the date and saw the inscription 'Wednesday 2/12/22'.

"Wow, it really looks like I regressed, everything seems relatively intact as well," I thought aloud, capturing some brief glances from onlookers who quickly brushed it off as me practicing for an upcoming role in a show or movie. 

Upon surveying my surroundings, I found that the next station was Shibasaki station, the train stop nearest to where Ruby and I resided along with our adopted mother Miyako. (not canon by the way). I also found a couple of schoolgirls donned in a Kaiseki Girls' School uniform whose faces instantly reddened up upon locking eyes with me. 

"Shibasaki station" the female automated voice sounded. 

"Well let's take a walk down memory lane," I muttered to myself as I exited the train carriage. 

'I left our home in Shibasaki when I turned 18 to search for my father more actively, jumping around from home to home, and never returned again to this house. Jumping around from home to home, it would be good to finally have a place to stay long-term' I thought while walking out of the train station, a warm feeling starting to well up inside me as I reminisced of all the fond memories I gathered whilst here. 

Looking at the familiar gates of the station's North exit, I couldn't help but recall all the times when I would see Akane off when she came to my house for a visit when we were still dating. Her beautiful innocent smile which somehow made the whole atmosphere warmer, and her childish manner of skipping away from me after planting a soft kiss on my cheek. Thinking of all this, I stopped dead in my tracks and gave a small and sad smile, berating myself internally for not properly appreciating all our little moments of happiness together, and most of all, for throwing it away all for a deadbeat dad. 

With all that said, I resumed my journey, gazing upon the old stone walls that lined some brightly lit houses and shops, passing by the all too familiar convenience store where the same 50-year-old uncle had been working behind the counter for years, gazing at all the leafless trees that lined the road, each hiding it's lush green leaves and cherry blossoms to burst out upon the arrival of Spring. 

"Ah, the nostalgia" I sighed, once again scolding myself for tossing away such simple joys like walking down this road to my home. 

Upon reaching the metal gates that led up to the familiar white two-story building which I called "home", tears started to well up in my eyes, as I couldn't help but feel that I was finally coming home. Coming home from a long journey of pain and suffering back to the hearth, a home filled with warmth and love. 

Reaching into my jean's left pocket, I ran my fingers through all the stuff stuffed inside from my wallet to some business cards, until I felt a slight sharp poke on my hand, before I grabbed onto the metal object and yanked it out of my pocket. 

Sticking the key into the keyhole, I fiddled around with it before it finally slotted right it, allowing me to turn the key and unlock the front gates. After opening the gates, I pushed it open and walked through before closing it and locking it once more. 

Then, I entered the key code and walked through the door of my house, only to be greeted by silence rather than the anticipated greeting from Ruby who would usually be relaxing on the couch near the television at this time. 

'That's strange ... I thought she would be back at this hour' 

The house was dark and unlit, suggesting that there was no one here yet but me, however, from the walls of the hallway, I could hear some faint sobbing noises. 

'Who was it?'

I let curiousity take ahold of me, slipping off my sneakers and shutting the door silently as I walked slowly to the hallway, wary of any potential intruders. 

'Although it is unlikely that a robber would make crying noises, it may be a stalker, still, it's better to be cautious' 

Fearing that the shuffle of my socks against the wooden floor was creating too much noise and giving my location away, I started to tiptoe, before peeking around the corner into the room where the crying sounds seemed to originate from. 

However, upon seeing the source of all the crying, my heart and body immediately froze with shock and worry as I quickly realized something very crucial about today. 

~to be continued

Author's comment: Yo slight warning, this fanfiction is very lovey-dovey and somewhat a cliche romance story. Sooo, if you don't like cheesy stuff, then I suggest you wait for the other stuff I am writing to come out. Or read a few chapters down the line where the action comes in. Also, this is more of a slice of life kind of romance, with a little bit of action and dark elements to it, so if it is not your type, I sincerely apologize but still hope that you give it a chance too. Much appreciated. Cheers, dreamersdelusion.