Lost Memories and Forgotten Pasts
Deep in a forest in a far away land, a boy lay sleeping under a tall oak tree. A low groan escaped the boy as he began to wake up, the bright sun beating down on his eyelids as he rolled onto his stomach in an attempt to hide his face. After a few moments of laying there, the boy shot to his feet, nearly tripping over a tree root as he looked around frantically. “Where the hell am I?!” He yelled, face full of confusion and panic. The boy took a few moments to check himself for injuries, mind racing all the while. How had he ended up here? Where was here anyway? Why was his mind so numbingly blank? The poor boy flopped back down onto the grass with a sigh. He leaned back against the rough bark of the oak tree he had woken up under as his mind continued to race. “Alright, just stay calm Kiri, I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for all of this,” he mumbled to himself, rubbing his eyes a few times before starting to look around.
Soon enough, he caught sight of a cream colored scroll, held together with a red ribbon that was almost as bright as his hair. He quickly untied the neat bow and unraveled the scroll, peering at it curiously as a small, palm sized scrap of paper slipped out. He opted to examine the scroll first, since it seemed to be a map of some sort. What kind of map was it though? There wasn't a single label on it! The only noticeable marking on the entire thing was a bright green ‘X’ that was drawn in the middle of a forest. “This. is. so. Stupid!!” He yelled angrily, tossing the map towards the nearest thing in his line of vision, which was simply another tree. How could a map have no labels or markings? Could it even be considered a map?
“Alright, fine. What's this dumb piece of paper anyway?” he grumbled, grabbing the scrap and lifting it up to his face pointedly. Surprisingly, what he had thought was a scrap of paper was in fact a worn looking photograph. The edges were yellow with what seemed to be constant use, but the image itself was crystal clear, not a single smudge present. The first thing to catch Kiri’s attention was the startling bright red of the person’s eyes. They burned with intensity, almost angrily, glaring daggers at the photographer. Spiky blonde hair fell into their face, partially covering the smug smirk that played across thin lips. A calloused hand rested on one hip, causing the photo to give off an almost cocky vibe. Their posture fit well with the feeling of the photo, an almost playful sense of false rage. Even though most people would have assumed that the photo had been taken seconds before disaster, Kiri sensed that this had been taken during a happy moment. A moment of peace among a constant storm of disaster. Not many people would've been able to see the playful intent. Why, out of everything I could have remembered, did it have to be something so useless to me right now? He grouched silently, shaking his head. Even though his mind was practically blank, his heart fluttered as he glanced at the photo again. This person... They were important to him. It was as if this worn photo was the key to his memories, to the questions that wouldn't stop echoing in his head. He had to find this person, he knew it. They held the answers to his questions, the key to his past. I guess it isn't as useless as I first thought. He pushed himself back to his feet, brushing the dust off of his pants and slipping the photo into his breast pocket. Maybe that map isn’t completely useless either. The photo came with it, so maybe… maybe the map could lead me to this person! His brain supplied eagerly, eyes lighting up with renewed vigor as he rushed to pick up the map from where he had thrown it. His eyes carefully scanned over the map once again, much more focused on each detail. “So if I assume that this X is where I am right now, then the nearest road would be…” He began to pace back and forth unconsciously as he read the map, pulling the photo back out of his pocket and focusing on the background instead of the person. It looked like they stood in an outdoor market of some kind, a street-side booth visible behind them. Perhaps this was taken in the city then? From what he could tell, the city wasn't too far away from the forest! Only a day or so journey from what the map seemed to express. With this new information, Kiri decided to start on his journey. He had to make it out of this forest first anyway, so there was no better time to start than now. He rolled the map back up, sliding it into the loop of his belt and looking up at the sun. From what he could tell, it was around 7 in the morning. On the map, the city had been north of the forest... If the sun rises in the east, I should head…. this way.
With that thought, he headed north, mind filled with questions and worries that he hoped to put to rest. He did his best to hurry through the forest, watching the sun closely as he tried not to make any detours or path changes. It was around noon when Kiri finally decided he needed to take a break, plopping down beside a small, clear spring and splashing water onto his face. “Who are you? I’ve never seen your face around here.” A quiet voice commented behind him, causing the red-head to let out a startled yelp and nearly fall face first into the stream. “Woah!! My bad, I didn't realize you hadn’t seen me!” The person said apologetically, having caught his arm with their hands to keep Kiri from falling in. If I didn’t fall in, why is my arm so wet? he wondered in confusion, biting his lip and looking up nervously. He choked on his breath when he finally set eyes on his savior, eyes comically wide and mouth agape. The person, or girl, seemed to be made completely of water, partially transparent, with small fish swimming around in her body. Shimmering, silver blue water acted as hair somehow flowing down her shoulders without merging with the rest of her form. “Have you never seen a water nymph?” She asked curiously, pulling him away from the edge of the stream and helping him sit down on the grass. “N-no, I can't say I ever have. But then again, I can't really remember much of anything… So maybe I have?” He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to get used to looking at the transparent girl. “You can’t remember anything? What do you mean?” She asked, sitting down in front of him and offering her hand. “Well, remember this! My name’s Mina, Mina Ashido, don’t wear it out!” Kiri shook her hand nervously, smiling weakly and nodding when she introduced herself. “My name’s Kirishima, but everyone calls me Kiri. I’m trying to find out who I am.”
After a while of talking to Ashido and doing his best to explain his situation to her, he noticed how low the sun had dipped in the sky. “Crap! I was supposed to make it out of the forest by tonight!” He cried frantically, startling the nymph who sat across from him. “Kiri, calm down, you shouldn't be in such a rush! What if you miss something important?” She pointed out, placing a hand on his shoulder and accidentally soaking his shirt once again. “Stay here for the night, let me take a look at the map and the photo. There's always a chance that I might know someone or something that’ll help.” She pleaded, giving him a placating smile and pulling her hand away. He sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly and nodding in defeat. “Alright, you have a point. Where do you live anyway?” “Just down the stream. I normally just stay in the river, but sometimes I meet travelers like you!” Ashido hummed, motioning for Kiri to follow her before skipping off into the trees. All the poor boy could do was run after her, shaking his head in dismay as he tried to keep up.
“So this is my house! Whatdya think?” Ashido crooned, spreading her arms wide and grinning at the boy who stood panting in her doorway. “Its homey.” He breathed, giving her a sheepish grin and straightening up. It was small, obviously not meant to be used by more than a few people, but still felt warm and welcoming. There was a small fire pit off to the side, and a sleeping cot towards the back, although he seriously doubted it got much use. “Glad you think so! Now how about we take a look at this mysterious map of yours?” She suggested, grinning and sitting down at a stone table in the center of the small cabin. Kiri followed her lead, sitting down across from her and pulling out the map, as well as the photo he had been keeping in his breast pocket, and laying both out on the table.
“From what I can tell, this person has to be the key to my memories. Whenever I look at the photo, my heart starts racing and I get flustered.” Kiri explained, face flushed with embarrassment. He was telling someone he had only just met about one of the only things he could remember, and that thing just happened to be some form of romance. Ashido grinned, eyes glittering playfully as she gently punched his shoulder. “Someones in looooooveeeee.” She teased, dragging her attention back to the photo. “Thats strange though. This person kinda looks like the queen of the neighboring kingdom, ya know? The blonde hair and red eyes? I think those are one of the things only the royal family has.” She murmured, brow furrowed in concentration. “The… The royal family?” Kiri squeaked, eyes going wide as a panicked feeling rushed through him, his adrenaline spiking. I have some kind of history with them, and it isn’t good. The words spun around in his brain, causing him to release a weak cry and drop his head into his hands. Why can’t I remember? Why can’t I remember?! A shaky sob escaped his lips, his body trembling as he tried to get ahold of himself. It felt as if someone was trying to cleave his head in half, the pounding of his pulse practically drowning out everything else. He could hear Ashido attempting to get his attention, but her voice was warbled, as if his ears were filled with cotton. He did his best to raise his head, to reassure her, to do something, but his body wouldn’t comply. His world spun widely for a few moments before everything went black, his thoughts grinding to a halt as his mind gave into the darkness.
To be continued…..
Alright, this is the first chapter of my KiriBaku fic! This is the uhh.... let’s say, rough out, of the whole thing, since I’m still getting a feeling for what’s gonna happen. What I do know, however, is that @satur-nya did an absolute stunning drawing for me of Kiri and Bakugou!
I hope you all enjoyed this so far, More should be coming soon!
