I Am Not Alone

The first Joel Goldschmidt, who collected species of animal and fossils from around the world for his own personal research, was deeply influenced by Lamarck’s Zoological Philosophy and had great interest in the evolution of living things. Amongst his collection was a strange mummy from Iceland. Though its face was crushed, it was clearly a pregnant female. It was called Saya. April 8th, 1833. Saya finally arrived at the Garden. A far as I know, it is a mummy of unknown species, and it is unlike any creature of this world. Though its external appearance resembles that of a human female, under both arms, there are traces of a membrane stretching from the abdomen to the thighs. We also recognize that there are several characteristics unlike ours, such as the presence of a web-like membrane between the fingers. These traits resemble those of bats or Chiroptera. I wonder whether this very mummy, which will probably reveal the answer to our own evolution, is a gift from God. We decided to dissect this mummy. It was a tense moment, as if we were children dissecting insects out of intellectual curiosity. We decided to open one of the two cocoons. However, without letting the blade through, the cocoon sneered at our efforts. Whatever it was, the blade turned against us. The blood was sucked down like an infant sucking at its mother’s teat. As the blood dripped down and was absorbed into them, the cocoons began to pulsate with a faint rhythm. August 4th, 1833. Two newborns cried out for the first time from their cocoons. At first glance, they were no different from average two-month-old infants. Both were girls. As a test subject, one of them was not given a name, but the other was named Saya. June 2nd, 1863. These girls have not shown any signs of aging for the last few years. When I realized this, it certainly was a bit of a shock knowing that Saya was different from the human species. Time has stopped for them. Their blood allows them to heal at an extraordinary rate. But when one’s blood mixes with the other’s, it quickly crystallizes before it scatters like dust. They were born of the same mother, yet… As fellow humans, no, as any fellow creatures, I know not of any such occurrence. Do they exist outside the chain that connects all living things in this world? What are they? One Sunday in 1883, Joel’s watch was broken and ceased to tell time. From that point on, time stopped for the Goldschmidt family. A tragedy befell Bordeaux… on the Sunday that marked Joel’s seventy-second birthday. That tragedy began when someone released the girl from her tower. A small, young female-looking girl with long dark hair, bright blue eyes, and pale skin, wearing nothing but a dingy dress to protect her, was sprawled on the cold muddy ground, her eyes lost all light in them, devoid of all life. She stared into the depressing sky where the cold rain pounded on her body. It was raining cats and dogs and she was on the verge of starvation and dying. She didn't even remember how or when she got where she was now. Though the fact she was only out in the rain for over a week, thin rail orphan children passed her by not once giving her a second glance. It was raining, but of course it was always raining in Amegakure, a poor nation where the system didn't care or have a conscious to rescue the starving children. It was The Second Great Shinobi World War. Most thought she was dead since this was actually week two that not one person noticed her. Her body was frail despite that her body appeared to that she had indeed eaten, but she was dying as well not only from starvation but from lack of blood. She wasn't sure how she got the wound that gashed her left side. her breathing was shallow and she was afraid to die. What is this? Is this.. What is this? I don't remember anything. Who am I? Why I am getting wet? But what is wet? What is water? I'm fading... no... can't be.. my life has no meaning. I'm going to die here and have by body gone. Nobody would care? I don't know who's voice this is. Is it mine? Am I really dying? Oh.. a light.. no.. darkness.. Is this what everybody see before they die? Darkness? That's horrible. What's horrible? What's darkness? Who.. what.. where.. why.. This is.. my voice? What is this piercing sound? Am I... screaming? What's screaming? No.. it's like a song.. it's pretty. Wait... it's coming out of my mouth. This is eerie yet beautiful. Divine almost. Who am I? This song:

Cano tasay noni, cano nimono
Kimah strata taday dato, nimo stprey datoo
Cano tasay noni cano nimono
Kamamy sitodo lada nibonimoe
Kahmen di sono soda nimo,
Kahmen mayto no sildo hisa day astro
Misa day niatoe

(Various Ahhh’s from 2:42-4:08)


Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah no tashano ni to no nimono
Valmay sahano nada
Ah-Ah-Ah
Ahhhhh AHHHHHHHHHHH!

The young girl hoped that then somebody would notice her, but not one step of a foot came to the little girl's aide. The rise and fall fo her chest was slowly now halting to a stop. No... I.. don't want to die.. help.. me.. please.. I guess... I have no choice... She opened her mouth again, singing that sweet melody that made her feel at peace once more. Her heart was beating erratically, maybe having its own mind that it didn't want to die. Like the poor Girl, it did not want to cease; it wasn't ready for Death to swoop down. The Girl's song ended when saltine water dropped from her dull blue eyes that used to be a bright blue. She closed her eyes and only waited patiently. Suddenly after an hour, what felt like a year to her, she couldn't feel the rain and she smelled food. What is food?

"I like your voice." came a female voice. The Girl saw a young child, her age by at least nine-years-old, with blue hair and amber eyes. She wore a large T-shirt, shorts,sandals, and held an umbrella. She was smiling warmly at the Starving Girl who did not notice the loaf of bread in front of her. The Girl could not speak, instead only moved her mouth which the other girl was able to hear her. Thank you and I like yours.

"If you're able to survive with those stab wounds for the two weeks you've been here, or more I guess, with no food, then you must be a chiropteran too. My name's Konan. What's your name?" The Girl pondered for several moments after Konan fed her the bread. Name? she asked. "You do have a name right?"

My name is... I am... A pregnant pause followed shortly by another pause. My name is... Diva. Diva Uchiha. "Diva. That's a beautiful name. Come with me Diva." Konan lifted Diva onto her back since Diva's body was still weak and frail. That loaf of bread wasn't enough.

****************

"Konan! Who's the newbie? This cave isn't big enough for you to bring in every dying child you see!" yelled a young boy with orange hair and brown eyes. He was scowling at Diva who hid behind Konan. "She was on the brink of death." Konan said innocently. "She a chiropteran too?" he asked. "Yeah, but she doesn't remember anything at all except her name. We'll have to dose her with more than just a gallon of blood."

"What's your name?" Yahiko asked. Diva was startled. "U-Uchiha Diva."

"Uchiha Diva, huh? Funny, you kinda look like one except for the eyes. You must have been adopted. You sure you don't remember anything?"

"Am I suppose to?"

"I'll get you some new clothes Diva. Your dress is dirty." Konan smile after leaving to search in the back for clothes for Diva to stand in. She jumped when she saw a dog. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you. His name's Chibi." said a red-haired boy with is bangs covering his eyes and fair skin. "I'm Nagato." "I'm Yahiko." Moments later Diva sat in dry clothes drinking from an IV bag full of blood, fresh from a kill committed by Yahiko.

"You'll need simple blood transfusions every now and then in order to sat healthy. SInce you and Konan are the only two Queens of our kind."

Diva smiled shyly. "Thank you for allowing me to stay here Yahiko. If it weren't for you guys, I would have ended up dead long ago. At first I thought I would never have this chance for friendship; always thinking I was alone. Now I know I'm not alone. I have a family like you guys. I'm glad I met you all." The group off four placed their hands on top of the other making a pack to end war and make peace. Yahiko blushed when his hand made contact with Diva's. I am not alone. I am not alone. Diva thought, laughing a beautiful laugh for the first time with her new found friends.