Seth's Arch???
The Great Challenge!!
FINALLY....*pants* Its done.....PHEW! Not sure if I'd have a continuation of this but I'll see if I can think of one...Hopefully. Well, enjoy~
Three blinks. That was all it took. The first blink was when he saw his deadpan features through his bathroom mirror, his black and spiky short bed hair in a mess and a pair of almost dark circles under his black eyes. The second blink was him standing at the door to his house. His black and white sports shoes snuggling around his feet as his hand reached out to turn the door handle. The third blink was him walking down the walkway of his neighbourhood, his senses drowning to the music of people bustling in the marketplace and a clear bell ringing in his ears followed by a mewl of a white cat.
The bell...
Seth finally raised his head and his eyes widen in shock with the scenery before him. The dull grey houses lining up the walkway that he usually passes by was no more. Instead, those houses were replaced with small cart stalls he'd usually see during festivals around the shrines for new years. Unfamiliar faces were everywhere, their eyes showed a mixture of curiosity and suspicion as they pass. Their apparels resembled greatly to the people in samurai movies, he realised. Kimonos of different colours depending on which class they were from flourished as the females busied themselves with their daily routine and the men grunting onward with their hard labour. Seth simply stood there dumbfounded, glancing behind him to only confirm to himself that he might have taken a wrong turn somewhere in his daze.
"Watch out!"
He spun around to be greeted by a surprised horse, standing on its hind legs as its rider wailed while clutching onto its reins for dear life. Seth stood aghast, his body refusing to move no matter how much his mind screamed at him. Just as he was about to welcome the impact, he noticed the world seem to tilt sideways before he finally faced the sky. He immediately sat himself up from the sandy floor, rubbing his sore back from the fall.
"That was close. Are you hurt?"
The boy looked up and the first thing he realised was her eyes. They seemed to sparkle from his point of view, a tint of turquoise blue glowing. His eyes trailed around her, noting her silky black hair which flowed over her bare shoulders and...immediately looked away with his cheeks flushed crimson red as he happened to see a (great) view of her cleavage. He reached out to take her helping hand in his flustered state, pulling himself up from the ground. The girl wasted no time in helping to dust himself off, catching him off guard with a sweetly scented perfume of...lavender?
"Is anyone hurt?" The rider called back to ask after calming his horse.
"Oh, he's fine," The girl waved at the rider with a smile. "Nothing's broken."
"Be careful next time!"
With that, the rider left, leaving Seth with the girl while the crowd that had gathered began to slowly disperse. The exchange of the conversation was simple and yet, Seth couldn't help but feel dazed at the whole incident.
What...just happened?
"Shall we go?"
Before he could ask, Seth found himself being gently pulled away from the area. He could feel her smooth hands against his big rough ones and as soon as they reach a crowded area, he realized the girl had slipped herself to his left. Her pale blue garment crumpled up a little when she snuggled up to him, wedging his arms comfortably in between her chest. Seth couldn't help but stare and immediately look away. He tried to pry himself away from her but her firm grip on him made it even harder for him to get some distance.
"I'm sorry but I need you to trust me and play along for a few moments," The girl smiled at him as they walked on. "Just until we reached the small bridge at the other side of this walkway."
Seth would have thought of it as a joke but seeing her demeanour, he resolute himself to follow her wishes and nod his head. "Thank you," She giggled when she saw his reaction, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for the late introduction but may I ask your name? Mine is Mikoto."
"Seth, Seth Campbell," He introduced himself as he heard a few cheers and wolf whistles in the background from the few stalls they had passed. Mikoto waved them off with a smile before continuing on their walk. "Uhm, where am I?"
Mikoto peeked into his face at his question, squinting her eyes as if she doubted him but shook her head soon after with a smile. She slowly loosens her grip on him as they finally approached the bridge just as she promised, walking a few steps ahead of him as Seth began to scan around him. There was lesser crowd in the bridge area and he couldn't believe his eyes when a few carts pass him. It was a brief moment but his eyes managed to capture the rough shape and colour of the sort of weapons that were stored behind. Guns. The type where it was considered old rare collectables back home.
"I see you're interested in them," Mikoto mused once Seth shift his attention back to her. "Made from fine iron and good smiths. It stinks nothing but death."
There was a tone of disgust as she spoke the last sentence but it was immediately gone the next second, her normal alluring smile plastered on her porcelain like face.
"Ah yes, I almost forgot to answer your previous question. My apologise," Mikoto purred and placed both of her hands neatly over the other in front of her and gave Seth a sincere bow. "The place you have landed is none other than Japan itself."
Mikoto paused as if to built some tension in the air. The kind of tension that Seth rather not have at the moment.
"You're in Japan...Japan in the Edo period of the timeline."
