Title: The World Divided
Author: Brad C
Disclaimers: Kazuya Minekura
A current of blue paint swept over the skies, and finally complete darkness. The air cold and crisp as few clouds looming by, the full moon did nothing but reflect its holy light guiding small critters and nocturnal animals through the darkness whether they were feeding on their preys, or scurrying on their way home from their predictors. Ukoku stood up on small foot of a hill, stretching both of his arms far into the sky and sniffling the fresh cold air. It was morning, according to the young brunette priest and sleeping was certainly not on the menu. He glanced around and hoping the elder priest would show up.
He waited patiently for a couple hours...
"Ukoku!" Koumyou called out, gracefully taking his time as he reaches the tiny slope. Ukoku turned his head and greeted, smiling somewhat through his black-framed glasses. "Silly me, I forgot the time." Koumyou answered, chuckling a bit to himself. "Where were you?" The young priest asked with concern note in his voice. "Folding paper airplanes. You know, time flies." The elder priest grinned, chuckling some more. Ukoku paused, and then burst out laughing; the richness of his voice filled the night.
They headed down the small path with both their heels pacing slowly in small matching steps and sandals crushing leaves on the ground, and kicking tiny pebbles to the side as they walked. They never exchanged a single word on their short journey, only letting their silence speak their minds. Ukoku lifted up his head as they walked, eyeing the vibrant moon and shadow darkness that endlessly follows them wherever they go. Koumyou turned his head towards the young priest with a subtle smile, and eyes smiling ever so gently; he then lifts up his head gazing at the darkness of night and the moon itself.
"Ukoku..." The elder priest asked, his voice as usual filled with warmth and brightness like a light that always shine through during both the day and night. Koumyou opened his mouth and gave a long paused, and then laughed. Ukoku glanced back at the older man, blinking curiously behind his glasses. "Where you going to tell me something?" Ukoku questioned, his voice still curious and raw like a crow singing his song with his ragged voice. "I almost I forgot what I was going to say..." Koumyou paused with stifled laughter again, smiling to himself in the process. "What?" Ukoku responded, staring at the figure of the moon.
A few minutes later, silence. The elder priest then spoke again, "Ah... I have been hearing a lot of things from others that we are quite alike..." Koumyou spoke elegantly, matching his own walking steps with graceful arms placed by his side. "Alike?" Ukoku blinked while glancing at the elder priest, giving him his full attention. "Yes alike, even though we are quite different, you see..." The elder priest continued, "Much like the raven and the crow." He finished, simply gazing at the young priest with a gentle smile. "Raven and the crow?" Ukoku repeated softly, gazing back at the elder priest.
"The raven is a mystical creature who have no connections with worldly affairs, and stole both sun and the night..." Koumyou chuckled to himself delightfully, his laughter warm and cold against the air. "Perhaps the raven is in denial... " Ukoku laughed light-heartedly, the rawness of his voice echoed against the night sky once more. "The crow is connected to earth; and stole both the sun and the night as well. He is connected to earth through its cousins the eagle that has connections, and affairs with the world. For he is too curious..." The young priest continued, glancing at the figure in before him. Koumyou simply nodded his head gracefully with a soft smile curling his lips, "You maybe right about the raven, but he will continue to watch over the young night endlessly."
Ten years later...
Kougaiji waltzed into the main laboratory without a thought about the consequences, settling down behind the closed to the corridors with his back leaning against one the of super computers; the prince seated behind his white jerkin with both legs up, arms resting on his knee and both hands hanging off loosely. The chamber smelled with black licorice scent left behind from the long savouring of bides, and richness from black stale coffee. Nii spun around his chair and got onto his feet, grabbing the bunny doll on the desk as he picks up noise from the end of the room, walking towards it at steady and slow pace. The doctor finds the prince as if he was expecting him all along, there was surprise twinkling in his eyes and an amusing grin slowly curving up his lips.
Nii grabbed one the chairs nearby and settling himself down again with one leg crossed over the other with the bunny doll sitting on his lap, his body languidly as he lounges in the chair with one arm hanging off the back of it. He picked up a chess piece off the chessboard, a white knight off the table next to him, and clutching within the edge of his fingertips. Nii opened his mouth, but the prince interjected before he could even say a word. "I got a question for you..." Kougaiji said with his eyes glaring back at the doctor. "Oh... And what might that be, your highness?" Nii questioned with a surprised note in his voice, keeping his eyes on the young prince.
"What is it like being the only human in palace full of demons?" Kou asked curiously, getting off the floor and standing on two feet. Nii remained silent, unable to answer as he then places the knight back down onto the chessboard. The prince grinned to himself faintly and walked out the chamber as his red tendrils following behind him like trail of blazing fire. Nii reached for his pack of cigarettes and begin lighting it up with a matchstick. He watched the prince quickly exit from the room, and then closed his eyes as he savours the taste of black licorice cigarette between his lips, getting out of his seat once more.
The doctor retrieved his nicotine from his mouth, gazing at the fiery tip of the cigarette. "Fire..." Nii said to no one in particular in the room with a contemplative note in his voice, "is the sun that is golden red, and known to brings many offerings." He continued with a quiet tone of voice, while throwing the remains of the cigarette onto the ground, and then crushing it with the back of his heels.
The doctor walked quietly out the room, heading outside of the palace where the night was already cold and dark. He paced up slowly behind the pillar and leaned his shoulder against it, starting on his second cigarette savouring it for a minute, and then puffing away as white streaks of grey smoke dissolving into the thin air. He hesitantly glanced over his shoulder at the night sky; there was another full moon out. "I see that you are here watching over me again?" Nii questioned darkly, talking and mocking himself to no one in particular. The full moon continued to glow warmly against the night sky, watching over the young night.
"Even though you are no longer here, we are still connected..."
END