Lost Memories: The Moon's Silhouette

Seke stood at Izame’s side, admiring the open plain as well. His eyes watched her, “Ready?” Seke interrupted her blissful thoughts.

For but a moment, their eyes met, Izame smirked.

Seke eyes creased, he replied with a smirk of his own.

Each propelled backward from each other, readying their selves. Seke drew forth his timely weapon and crouched into a starting stance. Izame brought her spear in both hands, preparing her feet to shoot off.

For the longest moment they stood, each was silently waiting for the other. Seke was concentrating on trying to read Izame’s first move, and then smiled when he thought he knew for sure what it was. Disapproving of his invisible thoughts, Izame shook her head.

Harmoniously, they both bolted toward the other, weapon in hand. Seke threw a simple move as he jumped high in the air, using his Aura to get a good boost and brought his sword down in one swift downward slash. Using both hands, Izame held the spear horizontally, blocking his blow. In turn, Izame brought her weapon forward, pushing away his weapon, forcing Seke to skid backward, bringing up dust. Afterword, Izame charged forward, bringing her weapon out straight, going for a perfect head on jab. Unfortunately, Seke dodged it easily, moving to the right and coming toward her from her left. Izame threw her weapon to the side of her body, blocking her opening and clanging loudly with his sword. Repelling, again, they kept their distance from one another.

“C’mon, Izame! Fight like a man!” Seke taunted.

“But I don’t want to lose!”

“Ha-ha.” He replied, not amused.

Izame smirked.

It was time to step up the playing field. Being careful could wait. After this, the fighting grew far more intense.

Izame charged forward throwing the point of the spear into the ground. Then, using the pole as support she lifted her body off the ground and forward kicked into Seke’s chest, forcing him backward and into the ground. He landed with a hard thump and a rustle of wheat.

Izame crouched over the toppled Seke. “What was that about fighting like a man?”

His eyes tightened. Seke performed a back flip on the ground, landing on his hands and drawing up Aura, where he then pushed off from the ground, releasing the Aura and surging up from the ground, into the sky. Several feet away, Seke landed with a level stance. Advancing his sword he dashed forward, crouched and threw it across Izame’s feet. Izame sprung up and dodged it as the sword flew by underneath her. But he had expected Izame to easily dodge this for he then turned in a complete circle to meet her body again. Izame wasn’t entirely prepared for this, but she thought fast. When she was still mid-air and Seke was bringing his sword around for a second time, Izame locked her legs together, released Aura from the soles of her shoes to perform a perfect back flip before even hitting the ground.

Izame landed upright preparing for another attack. Once her sight was focused, she realized Seke had jolted forward and threw his sword down on her. Izame brought her spear over her head just in time to protect against the oncoming hit. The weapons clanged together again.

They held their weapons there, each trying to overpower the others. Considering Seke has more upper body strength than Izame, his sword slowly lowered closer and closer to her face. In a blind panic, Izame brought her foot up and attempted to send a large amount of Aura to fly to his stomach and force him away. But Seke was one step ahead. He also brought his foot up, using Aura to force Izame foot back to the ground where he then crushed it beneath his foot.

He smiled deviously. He knew victory was coming, and it was coming fast. Izame had to think quickly.

Let’s see, Seke’s sword is straight forward. Now, if I were to release my restraint, his sword would come down fast. But if I were to somehow dodge the blow and then impact his stomach, he would go flying.

His sword was now mere inches from her face.

But if I were to miss or not get out of the way in time, that would be it. I could try my other foot, I suppose…or….

Izame smiled.

“Doubt it,” said Seke.

“Doubt what?”

“That you really have a plan. You don’t.”

“Is that so?”

“It is.”

“And who are you to decide?”

“Well-“

But Seke stopped talking when he noticed Izame bringing up her left foot. He shook his head and performed the same thing as he did before.

Perfect. Izame thought and smirked. While he was concentrated on restraining Izame’s other foot, she whipped her head forward, releasing a massive amount of Aura from her head, colliding with his head. With a grunt, he was forced into the ground, sliding against the wheat again and forming a cloud of dust. Her eyes were focused on the now ownerless weapon Seke had lost at the force of the blow.

With a wave of accomplishment, Izame stepped forward through the dust. For once, she had actually beaten him. She knew this because that last blow took a large amount of her Aura and was a hard blow.

But she thought too soon, when Seke emerged from the cover. While Izame wasn’t paying attention, something warm suddenly twisted around her and rammed her into the ground. Seke had pinned her against the dirt. His knees placed on either sides of Izame’s waist, each wrist pinned into the ground at the side of her head. She tried vainly to wiggle free, but her attempts were feeble and she failed. Victorious blue eyes stared down at her.

“Uh,” Izame sighed in defeat. Then a miniscule smile rose onto her lips. Seke looked down on her in confusion.

Somehow, Izame twisted her wrist out of his grasp and grabbed hold of his wrist instead. Throwing their bodies to the side, she flipped Seke onto his back to sit on his stomach and pinning his wrist into dust. Shock was plastered on his tanned features. Izame’s long brown hair fell to the sides making curtains and her extended stringed necklace lay gently on his chest. With an evil grin, Izame brought a new level of confusion to Seke’s face. She made a crackling sound in the back of her mouth, collecting saliva, and then scrunched her lips bringing the spit forward. But before Izame could let any of the slimly substance fall, Seke had intervened.

“I give! I give!” Seke forfeited.

Izame nearly choked with excitement as she swallowed, grinned toothily, and then released his wrists to sit back on the ground.

“That was cheap,” Seke said.

“If that’s what it takes to beat you, then I don’t care.”

“You’re proud of a win like that?”

“I’m proud of any win.”

“Hmph…well, I suppose, I must admit that I didn’t see that coming and I can usually read you like a book.”

“Is that so?”

“It is.”

Izame laughed. Seke stared.

“Something funny?”

“Beside the fact that we always say that, no.”

Izame lay back in the scratchy wheat. The golden stalks swayed gracefully in the breeze as she closed her eyes and felt a shadowed figure peer over. Izame peered through a squinted eye and smiled lazily. Seke lay beside her and copied each movement by closing his soft blue eyes.

“Well, the fact that I beat you makes me want to laugh as well,” Izame admitted.

“I guess if you want to consider that an actual win then-“

“I do. So don’t take that away from me.”

For a while, they lay there in complete silence, other than the soft wind whistling at their ears. Seke sighed.

“The sun’s about to set,” he said, getting to his feet. He offered Izame a hand which she took graciously and they headed for the smooth stone that sat at the heart of the pasture. Izame took her seat at the right, Seke sat at her left.

The sweet summer air was inhaled deeply through her nostrils. The sun was setting, painted a sherbet orange mixed with lavender purple. A few tiny clouds were flowing out over the sky like a soft breath escaping her lips. She closed her eyes to the darkness of her eyelids just so when she opened them again, she would see the scenery anew. It looked different when Izame finally lifted her eyelids again. If Izame looked hard enough, she could pick out tiny glittering stars emerging in the setting sky. Izame rested her head on her knees. Her insides drop to the earth beneath her feet.

Here, Izame could be at peace.

“Do you think I have any family out there?” Izame thought aloud, not realizing that the words had actually been spoken.

Seke leaned forward, Izame kept her wandering gaze toward the sky.

“Probably somewhere,” He said almost solemnly. “But, you know, Izame, we’re your family too.”

Izame turned to see his soft expression. “I know,” she replied.

Even so…I would still like to know where I’ve come from and if there’s anyone out there looking for me.

Izame, I’d be lost without you. I love you.

There had to be someone looking for her; the person-from-the-necklace was out there, searching. She knew it was true.