LIFE IS CHEAP

        My life never began until I met her. I just came from my sea voyage to this town. Not knowing why I travel or why I even stopped here. It was probably fate. Though, I'm not the one who talks about fate. Let alone believes it.
        You'd think I travel by myself but I guess everyone can't be alone. Hime Matsushita is the kind of girl who doesn't care about anything and can't be serious at all. Even when she needs to be although sometimes she is. Akito is a devoted follower. But he gets nervous when Hime talks to him. That's got to tell you something. And there's Cujo, he's not exactly someone you'd expect considering he's a dog, but he's still someone to talk to. But I don't understand why they were willing to come with me and become my crew.
        We landed at the docks of a town where I met her.  Hime decided to check out the stores and Akito and Cujo decided to tag along. I, on the other hand, decided to hit the tavern. That happened to be the same day that my sister died 16 years ago. So, I dedicated to mourning over her. She was murdered in cold blood right infront of me.That's when I lost my innocence. At the age of 6. I devoted myself to revenge on my sister's killer. She pleaded with screams of terror to not hurt her or me or atleast not kill her before me. But the murderer neglected her pleas and stole her life.  He took her away from me. She was the only one I had left.
        I tried to forget that horror by drowning it. Then, she came. Meiko Shinohara. She made me forget everything when she served the people at the other table. She looked at me with a smile. A beautiful smile. One that I've never seen before. My heart stopped beating. Her purple tinted black hair fell over her shoulder. Her blue-violet eyes sparkled in the light. Everything, every noise, every person, every distraction seemed to fade from my mind. I didn't notice that she was coming towards me with that smile still on her face.
    Meiko: "So, what's a guy like you doing here? This tavern doesn't seem like your kind of place."
    Me: " I don't know...Actually I don't know why I even came to this town..."
    Meiko: "Really?  Oh, I'd better get back to work. Are you still going to be here tomorrow?"
    Me(unsure): "Yeah..."
    Meiko: "I want to know you. Meet me back here tomorrow sometime about...3-ish?"
    Me: "Okay..."
    Meiko: "Oh, hey! I don't even know your name!hehe!You don't know mine for that matter! I'm Meiko Shinohara."
    Me: "Ayrvis..Ayrvis Suin."(air-vis)
    Meiko: "Ayrvis...Then I'll see you tomorrow, Ayrvis..."
    She smiled, again, as she pushed her hair behind her ear and left. Meanwhile, Hime and Akito found me.
    Hime: "So...Ayrvis...Who was that you were talking to?"
    Me: "It's none of your business..."
    Akito: "Ayrvis, who WAS that!?"
    Me: "Just someone.  Let's leave it at that."
    I stood up and walked out the door.
    Akito: "She must mean something to him, right?"
    Hime(depressingly): "I guess so..."
    Akito: "I mean, we've never seen Ayrvis act that way before. Or atleast I haven't. And he never really..."
    Hime(interrupting/depressingly): "...shows emotion like that to someone."
    She walked away towards the door as Yukiro stood there confused.
    Hime: "C'mon, Yukiro!"
    Akito: "O-oh! I'm right behind you!"


        I stood outside waiting for them with Cujo. When they came outside, I began to walk away from the tavern, towards the rest of the town.
    Hime: "Where are we going?"
    Me: "We're staying here for a while. We better look for somewhere to spend the night."

    (Hotel Room)
        I lied there on the bed in my room just thinking about Meiko. Thinking~ "She seems different than anybody I've met... 'I want to know you.' No one says that if they want to know someone, do they? Don't people usually say 'I want to know you more' or 'better'? Or 'I want to get to know you.'"
    There was a knock on the door.
    Me: "Who is it!?"
    Person: "It's me, Hime."
    Me: "Come in!"
        She opened the door. As she came in, she closed the door slowly and carefully. I felt there was something wrong. The expression on her face was different than her usual happy, carefree visage.
    Me: "Is something wrong, Hime?"
    Hime: "...Tell me, Aryvis, who was that girl at the tavern?"
    Me: "We already went through this."
    Hime: "I know...but...please..."
    Me: "She's just someone..."
    Hime: "No, she insn't! She isn't just someone! She isn't! The shopkeeper is just someone! Not her! Now tell me, who is she!?"
    Me(getting up): "What's this sudden interest in people I meet!? Huh!? Why do you want to know so bad!?"
    Hime: "...Because...."
    Me: "Because, why!?"
    Hime: "...Because..."
    Me: "Because, isn't a good answer here!"
    Hime: "Because I want to know!"
    Me: "Well, too bad. We can't have everything we want can we?"
    Hime: "I guess not... But...I just wanted to know...what that girl means to you..."
    Me(shocked): "......"
    Hime: "We're staying here because of her, aren't we?"
    Me: "......."
    Hime(forcefully): "Aren't we!?"
    Me: ".........yes...."
        Sorrow struck her face. Then she turned around and left the room. I sat there thinking about what just happened.  Why DID she want to know? And what DOES Meiko really mean to me?

        I woke up the next day with a pounding headache from the night before. Thinking too much really is bad for you. I thought about what happened that night even though I was still half asleep. It was 2:58 in the afternoon.
    Me: "2:58! Meiko wanted me to meet her at 3!"
        I rushed out of the room to the lobby. I didn't even notice that Hime was standing in the hall outside of my room. Then I rushed out of the lobby.
    Hime~ "Ayrvis, I know what she means to you even though you just met her, but I just want to be sure..."
    Akito(Standing behind her/softly): "Hime..." 

        I arrived at the tavern a little late but not too late. Meiko stood at the counter talking to the bar tender. She noticed me a couple seconds later. She smiled and came over to me.
    Meiko: "Hey, I didn't expect you to come at exactly 3:00. I did say 3-ish."
    Me: "Sorry..."
    Meiko: "That's okay. It gives us more time together... (to bar-tender) Hey, I'm going on my break, now!"
    Bar Tender: "Okay!"
    Meiko: "C'mon, I know this one place...."

        She took me to a field of cherry trees. The blossoms gracefully fell to the ground from every soft, cool breeze. But vanished every so often in the bright sun light.
    Meiko: "Isn't this place beautiful?"
    Me: "Yeah..."
    Me~"But not as much as you, Meiko..."
        She stood there staring off in the horizon at the cherry blossoms. She seemed to have separated from the world. I seemed to have done the same while gazing at her. I was lost in her perfection. Her never ending perfection.
    Meiko: "It seems to be..."
    Me: "...raining cherry blossoms..."
    Meiko(turning to look at me): "How did you know I was going to say that?"
    Me: "Wild guess?"
    Meiko: "*Chuckle* Oh! I brought you here so we could get to know eachother but instead, we're just standing here..."
    Me: "I don't mind. It seems as though I already know you."
    Meiko(turning away): "And it seems I know you, too..."
        There was silence between us. You could only hear the breezes passing through the trees. I walked over and put my arms around her.(I've never done that to anyone). Meiko was surprised when I did so.
    Meiko: "Ayrvis...do you...believe in..."
    Me: "...I never really did, but now I do."
        Meiko smiled but this time it was a soft and reassured smile.For the rest of the day, we just stood there watching the cherry blossoms.

    (Hotel Room; next morning)
        I sat on the bed just thinking about what happened. Did I actually do that? Especially to someone that I just met two days ago? I was totally dazed. The knob on the door turned slowly. Then the door slid open. It was Hime. I didn't notice that she entered my room.
    Hime: "Ayrvis? Are we leaving or not?"
    Me: "W-what!?"
    Hime: "I asked if we were leaving. You said that we were going today."
    Me: "....I'm not coming..."
    Hime: "What!!??"
    Me: "I'm staying here."
    Hime: "...Fine! If you're not going then we're not going either! The crew never leaves the captain!Never!"
    Me: "Suit yourself."
        Hime was in awe after I didn't give much of a fight. She turned around and left.  Slamming the door behind.  Which she's never done before. Not even the other night after that big argument. I don't even know what she did out in the hall but I know she stayed there.

    (Tavern)
        I walked in like I usually do, but something didn't feel right. Everything seemed the same but there was this strange aura fill the room. There was Meiko at the counter talking to the bar-tender, again. She turned around with the same gorgeous smile as she rushed over to me.
    Meiko: "Ayrvis!"
    Me: "Meiko!"
        She leaped and wrapped her arms around my neck and my arms around her waist. The entrance door opened with a creek. Something cold and evil came in through the door which made me shudder.
    Person who came through the door: "Ayrvis! So I finally found you!"
        I quickly turned around, letting go of Meiko.
    Me: "Corin! I never thought I'd see you, again!"
    Meiko: "Ayrvis, who is he?"
    Corin: "Eh? Who's this lovely young face? Heh! Have you been hiding her all these years from me? Ha!"
    Me: "Meiko, stay back!"
    Meiko: "Ayrvis!"
    Corin: "Meiko, eh? Once I defeat you, Ayrvis, Meiko will be mine!"
    Me: "Never! She'll never be yours! And you'll never defeat me!"
    Corin: "Pffff! Never defeat you? Don't you remember our last 'meetting?' It was great! So, intense! Just when you'd think you had me....swish! There YOU were in the clutches of death!Ha-ha-ha-ha! But then, out of the goodness of my pure heart, I let you go...."
    Me: "Shut up, Corin! You know as well as I do that that did NOT happen!"
    Corin: "Ha! You're in denying it!!"
    Me: "Deny THIS!!"
        As quickly as I could, I pulled out my gun. Corin did the same but at the same time as me. He seemed to know every move that I made and imitated every one at the exact same time.
    Me: "What the hell?"
    Corin: "heh-heh."
    Me: "How the hell-?"
    Corin: "I've known you too long Ayrvis. I could read you like a book. I can sense what you're going to do. Everything that you're going to do... Even if you pull that trigger, I can sense that you're going to do it before you even know it's happening..."
    Me: "Eh!?"
    Corin: "That's right. I AM amazing aren't I?"
        There was a *click* off to the side then a fire. Corin turned and fired in the direction of the sound. I was shocked to see who gave the first fire. My mind went totally blank.
    Me: "MEIKO!!!!"
        She smiled an unsure smile and fell to her knees. Her hand was covered with blood as she held it to her stomach. I ran to her side and held her.
    Me: "Meiko!"
    Meiko: "*chuckle* I'll be waiting for you..."
        Her eyes shut as a tear rolled down her face.
    Me: "Meiko? Meiko!!? MEIKO!!!"
        Corin laughed insanely for a minute but collapsed onto the floor. His shirt was stained with red. He had been hit. Life disappeared from his eyes.
    Me: "Meiko, how could you? How could you!?! I can't live without you! You were the reason why I came here in the first place. Without even knowing it myself...but you pulled me here...here...I love you...everyone I love gets killed...how come it couldn't have been different this time? This one time?"
        I broke down in tears while I spoke to her even though she was gone. Akito and Hime walked through the door(Cujo was outside). They stood by the door knowing that I wouldn't want to be bothered.
    Akito: "So, she was his love..."
    Hime~ "He loved her... and I...I..."
          We set sail a day after Meiko's funeral which was three days after her murder. I felt as if my life lost all meaning. When I found her, I knew why I was alive. It was because of her. She was the only reason why God saved me from my sister's murderer. Now I have nothing to live for. I knew she was the one. There's no one else that could make me feel this way. I know there's no one else like that because Meiko... there's only one Meiko and only one like her and that was her. Even though I still have Akito, Hime, and Cujo, I fell alone. Totally alone and lost. As if I was in a icy wasteland with no sign of anyone at all. Fate can be cruel. It definetly has been to me. It probably intends for me to be alone for the rest of my life... Then so be it.

      THE END