30Secrecy
Chapter One – Grey Meets Bronze
WARNING: May contain curses. This fanfiction is a ZaziexOC pairing.
DISCLAIMER: Fianan Gleoite does not own Letter Bee—only her OCs. Thank you!
She panted, looking behind her—eyes filled with willpower. Shortly observing the metallic bug behind her, she looked back ahead of her and fastened her pace. Spotting a nearby rock, which was essential for her to hide in, she ran towards it and sat down, catching her breath. Her heart was beating fast as she had been running for several minutes. She felt hot and sweat trickled down her head.
She relaxed her shoulders as a white fox sat beside her, its tail wagging elegantly. She sighed through her nose, eyes closed as she formulated a plan in her mind. Though they said that this is part of the exam... she thought, I think I have a low chance of actually defeating this thing. She sighed once again as that fact crossed her mind. Grabbing the bow from her back, she blinked to find the Spirit Amber glowing at the belly part of her bow. She stared at the weapon as though examining a piece of specimen. Maybe... she wondered. Her eyes traveled from the bow, to the fox, to the metallic bug which seemed as if it was waiting for her. Then, she felt something spark in her.
The blonde, now on the fox's back, still held her bow in her hand, eyes burning with determination as they were focused on the gaichuu. Still facing ahead, she fished out an arrow from her quiver, holding the arrow nock with the nocking point of the bow, the head of the arrow planted a few inches above her hand, which held the grip. She narrowed her eyes, slowly nearing the metallic bug. She whistled, giving her fox a signal. The fox complied and wrapped its tail around her tiny waist, stretching her upwards.
Once airborne, another tail appeared and pointed at the bug's weak point. She bobbed her head down to acknowledge the fox's help, and stretched her bow's string, creating a light creak from it. The fox from below did its job and kept distracting it, thus making her easier to aim and shoot. She waited for the right time before shouting: "Kiiro-tō!" (Translation: "Yellow light!") as she let go of the arrow.
A yellow light slowly glowed at the head of the arrow, leaving traces of the light and white star-shaped snowflake-like particles as it made its way inside the gap of the metallic bug. A very bright light similar to that of the artificial sun's glowed inside the gaichuu, a signal that meant it was about to burst into thirty pieces.
Shiro, her fox, knowing that it was about to explode, instantly reverted its tail to its original length, and gently placed the blonde's feet on the ground. The two immediately sprinted away from the metallic bug as it burst into thirty pieces. The impact of the explosion caused the blonde's hair to fly forwards, her curls blocking her field of vision. Luckily, we were quite far away, she thought in relief, her running cadence slightly slowing down as she panted. She placed her hands on her knees (one hand still holding the bow) and breathed evenly before standing up straight once again.
She took a glance at her fox and crouched down, a small smile on her face as she stroked its head, causing the fox to tilt its head upwards in delight. "You're such a good girl, Shiro." She said.
Shiro suddenly flinched, her ears snapping upwards then twisting slightly as if finding the owner of the silent sound. The blonde blinked and stood up, turning around and suddenly her guard went up. Her eyes scanned the area. She stepped closer beside the fox. "Where...?" she wondered to herself, eyes narrowing as she and her dingo searched the area.
The sound of footsteps echoed in her ear and was gradually becoming louder and louder. She snapped her head at the owner of the sound and found a raven-haired boy approaching her with a smirk on his face, his hands tucked in his Letter Bee uniform (or so she read about). A Letter Bee... she thought, tilting her head to her side. Is he applying too...? No, it can't be. He already has his own uniform...! She unconsciously planted her index finger on her chin as she thought deeply on he the boy might be, her eyes glued on the rocky ground.
"Emi Hunter," he called in a cool yet slightly harsh voice, his tone filled with authority. The blonde blinked and snapped her head towards him, blinking once again at the raven panther that sat beside him, her electric-blue eyes stunning her.
But she paid more attention on how he knew her name. "How did you know my name?" she asked bluntly, impassively.
The boy's smirk broadened. "As part of being an observer," he began, cocking his head in pride, "we check the applicant's files and observe them and how well they do in the exam." he explained. Emi simply nodded at his explanation, suddenly feeling sleepy and tired. "And you sure did good at killing that gaichuu. But not in handling the letter."
Suddenly, Emi's face lit up in curiosity. "What do you mean? I'm sure I have my letter with me."
He mock chuckled, fishing out the envelope from his uniform pocket and presented it to her. "You mean this letter?"
Emi's eyes dilated, and she swore she felt a pang in her chest and a new feeling rushing through her veins. Why do I...? She asked herself, her eyes now staring at the ground, as if the dirt were eyeing her too. She heard the boy smirk in front of her.
"It apparently flew out of your bag while you were airborne," he stated, his aura suddenly dropping. ("It hit my face, too... I didn't know your fox could do that... I think its cool... but I don't wanna say that right now..." he mumbled.) "Best if you should've zipped it close." He advised, once again tilting his head upwards. "Anyway, here you go." He stretch out his hand towards Emi, who merely eyed it before taking a few steps forward, now an arm's length away from him. "You were lucky I was there observing you, otherwise you'll fail this exam."
She looked at him straight in the eye blankly that she knew he was feeling nervous, for he suddenly backed away a step. "... Thank you." She simply said, gently getting the letter from the shocked boy. ("That was really blunt..." he muttered.)
He then huffed (after saving face) and lowered his cap before facing her once again, eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "Yeah whatever. I'll be going now. Bye." He said, and without a minute to waste, he turned around and walked the opposite direction of where she was headed, a frown on his face. The black panther followed suit, leaving a baffled Emi behind.
Once the boy was out of earshot, Emi turned her head to Shiro, who was eyeing the two, then to the ground. What I felt just now... I rarely feel it, she thought, lifting her head to where the boy walked off, and found herself staring into thin air. I should just finish this off.
...
"Thank you for delivering my letter safely, dear," a middle-aged woman cheerfully thanked, her soft brown eyes on Emi's impassive ones. She earned a nod as a response. A moment of silence passes by and the woman smiled once again. "You'd be prettier if you smile, dear." She suggested, but Emi could only avert her gaze and slightly frown.
She opened her mouth. "I—"
"Good day, miss!" a familiar voice boomed from behind, causing Emi to slightly jump in shock. He now stood beside her, a hand raised in greeting as the other was in his pocket, a cool smile on his face. "Has she delivered the letter and is in good condition?"
The woman smiled warmly and nodded, presenting him the letter which she had just received from Emi. "Yes, she has."
The boy nodded and fished a piece of paper out of his bag. He took out a ballpen and handed them to the woman after attatching the paper to a small clipboard. "Now, if you don't mind signing this, it would be of great help." He said in a suave voice as the woman happily accepted his offer and removed the ballpen's cap, signing the piece of paper.
As she handed the paper and pen to the boy, she threw a glance at the silent Emi and softly smiled. "She's applying, huh?" She asked, voice showing interest and warmth. Emi's gray eyes instantly travelled from the cold ground to the woman's soft eyes, blinking in curiosity.
The brown-haired boy glanced at Emi before looking back at the woman. "Uh, yeah—yeah she's applying..." He stammered, his hands stiff as he took the clipboard and pen from the woman after an eternity, absent-mindedly glancing at Emi once again. The trio were enveloped in an awkward silence before the brown-haired boy decided to clear his throat to break the ice. "So, um, thank you again, miss. We're going now."
The woman, in a trance, suddenly perked up and lifted a hand to bid goodbye to the two. "A-ah yes...! Have a safe trip, you two!" She said as the two nodded and turned their backs against the woman, preparing to leave.
Just as the brown-haired boy was about to take another step on the cold cobblestone ground, the woman stopped him, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. He blinked and turned around, noticing how the woman smiled. "Uh... what's the matter, miss?" He courteously asked, head slightly tilted upwards to look into her warm eyes.
"May I know your name, dear?" She asked, taking a small step forward, their distance slightly closing.
The Bee instinctively took a step back cautiously, his bronze eyes avoiding hers as he suddenly felt his cheeks become warmer. "Zazie..."
She smiled. "Well, Zazie, let me tell you something."
The woman then leaned in, her lips merely half an inch from his ear. She cupped her hand over the side of her mouth, her lips forming a small smile. "Take care of her, okay?" She whispered tenderly, patting his head before standing up straight once again, her hands now elegantly clasped together below her abdomen. She giggled as Zazie blinked multiple times in disbelief, taking a stiff step back.
He then folded his arms across his chest and huffed after saving face. He was about to counter harshly when the woman said: "She seems... sweet and caring," she folded her arms as well, leaning on the doorway. She shrugged. "I don't know... there's something about her that you should find out for yourself, Zazie. It's a chance." She smiled, eyeing him in a motherly way, which caught him off-guard.
Zazie huffed once again and shoved his hands into his pocket, his eyebrows suddenly twitching as his eyes darted around, only missing the woman in front of him. "Well I—"
"Regardless," she interrupted, "you should take your leave now as I don't see that girl anymore." She comically said, looking over to where Emi vanished minutes ago. "You should be guiding her, yes? After all..." Her voice faded as she started giggling (but to Zazie, it was more like teasing.)
"You're a lot like someone I know from where I live..." He mumbled exasperatedly, lowering his cap as he heaved a heavy sigh. He turned around, his hands in his pockets and his dingo tailing after him. He raised a hand to say a silent goodbye to the woman whose name is unknown to him, but his known to her. He frowned.
"Take that chance, dear!" She shouted after him, and earned a mere grunt from Zazie. She giggled at his immaturity. Watching the retreating back of Zazie, she smiled to herself. "You won't regret it." She muttered softly as she closed the door behind her.
/x/
"Emi Hunter, and Letter Bee Zazie Winters, please proceed to the Head Master's office. Scramble dash! Thank you." A strict feminine voice boomed throughout the halls minutes after Emi and Zazie arrived. Albeit it was required for him to report his job as an Observer, Zazie couldn't help but sigh wearily and walk slowly to his destination, shoulders slumped forward in prostration.
Emi, meanwhile, tailed behind Zazie as if she were his pet, her gray and impassive eyes darting around the halls of the Bee Hive, inwardly amazed. She then faced ahead of her, now eyeing Zazie and his depressed form. He suddenly turned his head and threw her a sideway-long glance, in which she returned with a blink. She heard him sigh and mumble things to himself as he turned to face ahead.
In silence and safe distance, they both climbed up the stairs and walked towards the said office. Zazie finally turned to her, a stern look on his face, and his signature frown in place as he held the door knob. He opened his mouth to speak but the words refused to come out, so he decided to open the door as he closed his mouth. He walked in, aura filled with authority—although the people inside have higher positions than him.—and Emi followed suit, taking careful steps inside.
She glanced at the two persons in front of her as she ceased walking and was now beside Zazie. A blonde woman stood by the desk, her hand planted atop of it. Behind the desk was a blue-gray-haired man, his eyes shielded by a pair of glasses and his mouth held a pipe, he smiled warmly at them.
The man removed the pipe from his lips and held it between his two fingers, the smoke rising then vanishing into thin air, the two gases combining. He breathed out a puff of white smoke, "Letter Bee Zazie," he said with interest. Zazie stood up straight, his face impassive. "Congratulations on successfully observing the exam yet again. There were no forgers, or cheaters of any kind this year, yes?" He formally asked, now sitting down on his swivel chair, clasping his hands together on the table.
"There were none, Head Master." Zazie answered, clutching his cap over his diaphragm with his two hands—a sign of respect—showing his dark windswept hair. "But someone almost lost their letter," he informed, emphasizing the 'someone' as he glanced at Emi. "Fortunately, I found it."
The man smiled and chuckled. "And whose letter might that be?" He inquired.
"Emi Hunter's." Zazie reported, turning his head to look at Emi, who seemed to still be calm and collected.
The man now turned to Emi and smiled wider. "My, my, Miss Hunter. It was indeed lucky that Letter Bee Zazie here was able to find your letter. Otherwise, you would've failed this exam." He said, momentarily putting the pipe in his mouth. Emi stood still, her breathing relaxed. He removed it and once again puffed out white smoke. "Miss Hunter, let me tell you the importance of letters..."
"Thank you, Letter Bee Zazie. You are dismissed." The blonde woman sternly said, tilting her head down to bow.
Zazie nodded and turned around after bowing, walking towards the door. Just as he was about open the door, the man called after him. He turned his head to him. "Thank you again for successfully observing for this year, Letter Bee Zazie!" He gratefully said.
Zazie blinked and slowly turned his head to the door, opening it just as slowly. "Yeah, it's... no problem." He quietly said before exiting the room, the door creating a soft click when he shut it closed.
A short and calming silence lingered around the room, as if something heavy was lifted. The man cleared his throat. "Miss Hunter, letters contain peoples' "hearts," and "hearts" contain feelings... emotions. They could bring joy to the receiver, or maybe sadness. We aren't sure about that,"—a short pause as he closed his eyes—"and it is our job as Bees to risk our lives to deliver those letters containing "hearts," no matter the reasons or causes." He looked at Emi. "It is our job to touch the hearts of people through delivering letters. It is what a Bee does." He paused once again. "And you are one of the Bees now, Miss Hunter. Congratulations."
Emi nodded and bowed with a hint of elegance at the news. "Thank you," she said, her lips slightly ajar.
The man nodded. "Oh yes," he said in realization, "I am Largo Lloyd, the Head of the Hive." He introduced. Largo then gestured his hand toward the blonde woman by the desk. "She's Aria Link, the Sub-Master." He blinked warmly as he striked the gendo pose. "It is nice to meet you, Miss Hunter. And I am eager to see your skills as a Bee." He said in pleasure as his onyx eyes stared at Emi, who stayed silent. He chuckled. "Well, it seems that Miss Hunter is a silent person," he pointed out. Emi could only nod.
Largo glanced at Aria and nodded. "Miss Aria?" He called out.
Aria nodded at his call and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She abruptly and featly walked towards a small cabinet and fished out a new Bee uniform, holding it with her two arms like it was a box filled with glass. She turned to Emi, who was eyeing her with her curious gray pair. "Come with me, Letter Bee Emi. You'll be wearing your uniform immediately. Some rules have changed..." She said, in which she muttered the last sentence with a small sigh.
A/N: So yeah, I know Letter Bee is old now and no one would even read this considering how unpopular it has gotten, but the story plot of this just kept bugging me like hell. Seriously. So I also thought that throwing this story away would be a huge waste of my time and somehow, when I imagined it happening to another anime besides this… well, it will practically be suckish. So I concluded my thoughts that this will officially be a Letter Bee fic.
Yay.
(-_-)9
And since I could express this to practically no one—not even my friends or my family because none of them knows this amazing-est anime ever, I decided to put it up here. Besides, I write to express, not to impress. Welp, I just hope that you'll take your time to read this because this baby has a sequel coming! Yeah!
Anyway, thank you for everything. Bye!
EDIT: Just realized that Emi was a Mary Sue. *rips out said OC's whole being* *throws body into a dumpster, sets it on fire, and casually walks away* So I decided to edit a few Mary Sue-ish parts here. It didn't make a lot of changes, just minor changes. :)
EDIT 2 (8/9/2014): So I edited this again and made Emi quieter and more solitary so as to follow her personality because I noticed that in this chapter, she is quite noisy and transparent when she really shouldn't be.
EDIT 3 (9/20/2014): Probably and hopefully, this will be the last edit that I will do for this chapter. Really took a while because writer's block happened to find me as well as the increasing school work and activities. Even the music club I'm in suddenly got busier. So I hope you'll understand my absence lol. Sooooo, I based Emi's attitude from my classmate tho. XD I hope she is now really solitary and quite unflapabble. Zazie here is a bit shy(?) too because of the woman but he'll be the same.
Please read my other fics: Disconnected, Out of My League, A Wait Longer Than Eternity and But You're Not Here Anymore! Thank you!
