Lost and Found - Book 1

Chapter 1

The last blizzard of the season had transformed Moscow into a world devoid of all color. Several inches of snow swallowed up the ground, the roofs and every other surface it could cling to. The clouds, thick and low in the sky, looked as white and fluffy as the ground. They did not let a peep of light from the full moon through. Within those clouds, something otherworldly was beginning to materialize.

Sparkles of green light floated inside the clouds. When they bumped into each other, they conjoined until they formed a perfectly round sphere that bobbed gently in the air. The sphere grew rapidly and cracked under its own volatility. A beam of light escaped, cutting through the clouds and shining straight down to the ground like a spotlight. As the light within the ball unraveled itself, the beam grew thicker and glowed brighter. When it could get no brighter, the beam began to dissipate from the top downwards. It left green embers in the snow that twinkled like tiny peridots and circled the sleeping girl that now lay on the ground.

Ivan was the only one who had seen the alien light in the sky. Most people were asleep right now, trying to escape the nightmarish weather in their dreams. But unlike everyone else, he was not afraid of the blizzard.

A strong wind whipped around the strands of hair not tucked under Rex's hat, stinging her face. She tossed and turned but would not find the warmth or comfort she sought. Sleep currently numbed her senses to the bite of the cold weather. Before long, she would freeze.

Rex already looked dead when Ivan found her wearing only a thin T-shirt and shorts. The only item she wore that was appropriate for the season was a sea green beanie with giant ear flaps and cartoonish eyes decorating the top. He checked her pulse and she weakly swatted his hand away with blue tinted fingertips. She had to be insane to be out here, and if she was not insane then she had to have a death wish. Ivan gritted his teeth, affected by the cold even though he wore several thick layers. He hoisted the girl over his broad shoulders and trekked back to his front door. Whether it was insanity or recklessness that brought her into this, it would be fate that brought him to her.

*

Nestled against the edge of a forest, there was a huge home belonging to one of Tokyo's richest families. The current thunderstorm muted the lush green of the well maintained yard and neighboring trees to shades of gray. When lightning danced across the high flat roof, the mostly glass walls reflected a bright white. And when the thunder would follow, it would rattle the windows. Despite this constant disturbance, only Kyoya was unable to sleep. A sudden flash of lightning brought him to look out of his window.

His gaze was indifferent until the bright white faded, leaving behind a faint glow in one area of grass. He squinted and leaned forward, his bangs grazing the cold glass. Was it possible for lightning to set fire to the ground while it was raining so hard? The fear of his yard burning quickly morphed into a more primal fear when the glow had brightened enough to reveal its distinct blue shade.

The light could have been from anything. It could have been a ray of moonlight that forced its way through the heavily overcast sky. Or it could've been the beam from an intruder's flashlight. Kyoya mulled over many possibilities, but none fit. The moon wasn't blue. A flashlight beam wouldn't stay in one place.

As he ran out of theories, the source of his confusion revealed itself. A ball of blue light rose up through the ground without breaking the soil and rested on the grass. Little sparkles bobbed around the ball like oddly colored fireflies. The way the light twinkled was almost calming, despite its alarming presence.

Before he could think, Kyoya's feet were moving. He ran down the stairs so fast that he skipped over several steps on his way to throw the backdoor open. By then, it had occurred to him how crazy it was of him to rush out into the unknown like this. And yet he continued on willingly, running out into the rain. When he saw what was in front of him, he collapsed onto the lawn, his knees digging into wet muck. The light was gone, and in its place laid a girl. Her eyes were shut, shielded from the rain behind glasses that now had a diagonal crack across one lens. The light that poured out of the backdoor illuminated a sapphire glittering across her skin that slowly disappeared.

*

In the third and final world, no storm raged. The night was silent and still. The air sat dormant, the trapped heat from the day keeping the floor of the woods warm. The jonin posted at the village's gate were bored, not to mention sticky and uncomfortable. The trees were thick enough that they didn't notice when the ball of light first appeared.

"Man, what a boring night," Complained the youngest ninja present. To Kakashi's knowledge, the boy hadn't been in the position of night guard for more than a few days. The Hokage had been swapping advanced jonin in during outlooks just to make sure that that the new recruits were following protocol. "Is the job usually this soul-crushing?"

Kakashi chuckled, raising his one visible eye off of his novel just long enough to glance at the boy in amusement. "Yeah."

While Kakashi read, the younger jonin chatted amongst themselves and it wasn't until the light began to expand that someone finally noticed it. Silently afraid in his inexperience, the youngest jonin stared wide-eyed into the trees. The bright red stood out plainly against its surroundings. The light grew bigger until it exploded, shooting streamers of red in every direction before disappearing altogether. In the short moments that followed, seconds felt like the heaviest measure of time. Kakashi nodded to the other men before setting down his book and rushing out into the dark.

Kakashi was so eager to find the source of the light that he hadn't waited for the others. The closer they got to the source, the harsher the air became, with a few stray sparks still floating in the hardly present wind. They found Kakashi frozen in place, his lungs filling with blistering air as he stood over a girl lying within a circle of burnt grass.