Part 1:
She looked out upon the burning city, ash floating through the air, tinging her hair with a sweet smell of smoke and dust. Soon this will be all gone and replaced with a barren wasteland of evil beings and the corpses of the good. She smiled with melancholy at herself and thought of how it would some day be all hers. Sad, but true. The sun was seeting now, sinking below a firey horizon and leaving this place, Dark Tokyo.
* * *
"Kurai- chan!"
"Oh God..." It was the third time this week that she was getting in trouble. Sigh. She stood up, dusted herself off, and decided to find another hiding place. Maybe behind that carbo- image of the tree... hmmm.
"KURAI! DID YOU HEAR ME?" Ms. K was not a kindly women. She was young but in this world, youth only meant you would get old very soon. At a rather tall height, she towered over the girl casting a humongous shadow. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Uhhh... reading this book?" She couldn't help rolling her eyes. Oppression was not her thing.
"What is this?" She grabbed the book out of her hand. "Brave New World? You know technical advances on humanoids are not allowed to be educated to you! Where did you get this?"
Kurai was ready the kick her. What was with the questions? "My grandmother gave it to me." Lie.
"I'm going to call your house right now!"
* * *
Konnichisama was not too upset when his sister's teacher called the house. Why would he care? So what if she was reading some book? It's not the end of the world. He had other things to worry about. Should he call Senran tonight? He picked up the phone and started to dial. Ring... ring... ring.
"Hello?"
"Senran- chan! It's me."
"Oh."
Was that a note of disappointment he heard? "Listen, I was wondering if we should go out tonight."
"Tonight? Oh... uh... I have to... um..."
"So are you busy?"
"No. Sure, why don't we go out."
"Great. I'll pick you up in thirty minutes."
* * *
Senran was rather crest- fallen. Out with her boyfriend again? Sure, Konni was sweet and handsome with the cold hard looks of a mysterious, handsome stranger but she felt nothing for him. They met The Night of the Rains. Makaze was rather fickle that day. Queen Akki was giving him too many errands and he was taking it out on the poor victims on the streets. It went something like this:
"Miss. Miss!" ...........
Ding Dong! Doorbell. Grrr... it ruined her thoughts. It must be Konni. Put on the smiley face! "Konni- chan! I have missed you!" She embraced him and secretly sighed to herself.
"I'm glad to see you, too." He was so happy to see her. A sudden stab of guilt brushed her heart. "Senran- chan? You alive?"
"Huh? Oh! Of course!" She smiled meekly and followed him out the door.
* * *
"Can't you be a normal child!?" SLAM!
"Mother! Mother, please!" Awai sat on the pavement infront of her door. Her mother had thrown her out again. It was kind of cold no doubt so she stood and pulled her coat around her tightly. Walking down the streets when the day was getting dark was a very dangerous thing in Dark Tokyo. It was said this was the time Imibi came out foraging for victims to quench his thirst for the energy of the dead. Personally, Awai didn't believe these things but it was so cold!
BASH! "Oh, sir, I'm sorry!"
"It's alright really."
She looked up to see a pale man with cold, dead eyes, but she couldn't help thinking that he was handsome. BLUSH. "Ohh... uhhh." Quickly looking down, she found herself quite dumbfounded.
"What is a young girl like you doing out in the middle of the night?"
"Hmm?" Awai was surprised by this remark. Looking up again, she saw him staring out whistfully at the horizon.
"Do you have anywhere to go?" He looked down at her coldly but not terribly unkind.
"Umm... "
"Well, you can come with me if you like." He walked ahead of her towards the tall apartment building. Awai ran to catch up with him.
"Wait!" She panted when they reached the top floor, without using the elevator, to catch her breath. The inside was inpeccably clean with few furniture that were basically bare. She found it was strange that he didn't have any pictures or magazines or anything else lying around.
"Sit." He started to take of his jacket and hung it in his closet. Turning around, he gave her piercing look that sent chills through her spine. "Well, tell me about yourself. You're in my house and I have a right to know."
"Uh. I really rather not but since you do have a point..." Awai looked down into her lap. Did she have to tell him all her painful memories? How could she? She didn't even know him.
"I understand. Some things I wouldn't want to tell you either." Now he was moving towards the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee. "Maybe you can tell me your name today and the rest can be for later." Sip.
"My name is Henshoku Awai." BLUSH.
"Nice to meet you, Henshoku Awai. I'm Seidaku Musha." Sip.
"Oh yeah! Nice to meet you, too!"
* * *
Yougo's hand once again fell to the crystal that he had chained around his neck. His grandfather had dyed an hour ago and he left him that in his will. There was something significant about that crystal that was not told to him. No one ever bothered to tell him everything. Actually, his grandfather was the last one living in his family besides him. Now he was the only one left.
"Yougo- san!"
"Yes?" It was Kanojo, his grandfather's little secretary. "What is it?"
"Yougo- san, they want to see you." She looked at him with concern. It was har for him to deal with so many deaths. Everytime, he would have to meet with the lawyers, settle the funds that went to the Queen and how much he could keep. His inheritances made him quite a wealthy young man so he didn't really have to work but he was awefully lonely. She always had a secret dream that he was really in love with her, but she knew that it was just a wild fantasy.
She started to walk outside to catch the bus. Her job was gone since the Old Man was gone. Now all there was to do was to go home.
"Hey! Kanojo- chan!" Kurai waved at her from across the street. "Come on! Come with me to the cafe."
"Okay! Sure."
The cafe was down the street from Yougo's house. They got there a few moments later and sat down by the window. "So, Kanojo- chan. What's going to happen now that the Old Man is dead?"
"I really don't know. I guess I'll have to find a new job." She played with her spoon and put it down suddenly. "Or I could just ask to stay since there was no notice to my sudden job difficulties and hold on to the position."
"Or... you can come and do nothing with me!" Kurai stood up in her little determined pose. Her life was way way way too boring to be normal. What could she really do? Being withdrawn was good for now. Maybe something fun later...
"Kurai- chan, you're going to get into big trouble one of these days. You know what the ruler does to people like you."
"Oh whatever. So what if I die from horrible torture? Better than sitting here, doing nothing, drinking this crappy coffee, and going to school." She banged her cup down on the table. "This coffee is crappy! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CUBAN COFFEE GROWERS!?!?"
Kanojo was halfway humiliated since the whole cafe was staring at Kurai. She always had to have the weird friends didn't she? SIGH. "Kurai- chan, do you have to be so loud. Everyone can hear you."
"GOOD! I WANT EVERYONE TO HEAR ME! I THINK WE DESERVE BETTER COFFEE AND I THINK WE SHOULD GET IT NOW!" She climbed on the table. This was just getting worse and worse for Kanojo. "I THINK WE SHOULD BOYCOTT THIS CAFE UNTIL THEY GET US SOME GODDAMN DRINKABLE COFFEE!"
"Eh-hehe." Kanojo slid down into her seat until she was nearly under the table. She was going to die. Any minute now, she was going to smack Kurai so hard...
* * *
End of Part 1
Also drawing the manga...
She looked out upon the burning city, ash floating through the air, tinging her hair with a sweet smell of smoke and dust. Soon this will be all gone and replaced with a barren wasteland of evil beings and the corpses of the good. She smiled with melancholy at herself and thought of how it would some day be all hers. Sad, but true. The sun was seeting now, sinking below a firey horizon and leaving this place, Dark Tokyo.
* * *
"Kurai- chan!"
"Oh God..." It was the third time this week that she was getting in trouble. Sigh. She stood up, dusted herself off, and decided to find another hiding place. Maybe behind that carbo- image of the tree... hmmm.
"KURAI! DID YOU HEAR ME?" Ms. K was not a kindly women. She was young but in this world, youth only meant you would get old very soon. At a rather tall height, she towered over the girl casting a humongous shadow. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Uhhh... reading this book?" She couldn't help rolling her eyes. Oppression was not her thing.
"What is this?" She grabbed the book out of her hand. "Brave New World? You know technical advances on humanoids are not allowed to be educated to you! Where did you get this?"
Kurai was ready the kick her. What was with the questions? "My grandmother gave it to me." Lie.
"I'm going to call your house right now!"
* * *
Konnichisama was not too upset when his sister's teacher called the house. Why would he care? So what if she was reading some book? It's not the end of the world. He had other things to worry about. Should he call Senran tonight? He picked up the phone and started to dial. Ring... ring... ring.
"Hello?"
"Senran- chan! It's me."
"Oh."
Was that a note of disappointment he heard? "Listen, I was wondering if we should go out tonight."
"Tonight? Oh... uh... I have to... um..."
"So are you busy?"
"No. Sure, why don't we go out."
"Great. I'll pick you up in thirty minutes."
* * *
Senran was rather crest- fallen. Out with her boyfriend again? Sure, Konni was sweet and handsome with the cold hard looks of a mysterious, handsome stranger but she felt nothing for him. They met The Night of the Rains. Makaze was rather fickle that day. Queen Akki was giving him too many errands and he was taking it out on the poor victims on the streets. It went something like this:
"Miss. Miss!" ...........
Ding Dong! Doorbell. Grrr... it ruined her thoughts. It must be Konni. Put on the smiley face! "Konni- chan! I have missed you!" She embraced him and secretly sighed to herself.
"I'm glad to see you, too." He was so happy to see her. A sudden stab of guilt brushed her heart. "Senran- chan? You alive?"
"Huh? Oh! Of course!" She smiled meekly and followed him out the door.
* * *
"Can't you be a normal child!?" SLAM!
"Mother! Mother, please!" Awai sat on the pavement infront of her door. Her mother had thrown her out again. It was kind of cold no doubt so she stood and pulled her coat around her tightly. Walking down the streets when the day was getting dark was a very dangerous thing in Dark Tokyo. It was said this was the time Imibi came out foraging for victims to quench his thirst for the energy of the dead. Personally, Awai didn't believe these things but it was so cold!
BASH! "Oh, sir, I'm sorry!"
"It's alright really."
She looked up to see a pale man with cold, dead eyes, but she couldn't help thinking that he was handsome. BLUSH. "Ohh... uhhh." Quickly looking down, she found herself quite dumbfounded.
"What is a young girl like you doing out in the middle of the night?"
"Hmm?" Awai was surprised by this remark. Looking up again, she saw him staring out whistfully at the horizon.
"Do you have anywhere to go?" He looked down at her coldly but not terribly unkind.
"Umm... "
"Well, you can come with me if you like." He walked ahead of her towards the tall apartment building. Awai ran to catch up with him.
"Wait!" She panted when they reached the top floor, without using the elevator, to catch her breath. The inside was inpeccably clean with few furniture that were basically bare. She found it was strange that he didn't have any pictures or magazines or anything else lying around.
"Sit." He started to take of his jacket and hung it in his closet. Turning around, he gave her piercing look that sent chills through her spine. "Well, tell me about yourself. You're in my house and I have a right to know."
"Uh. I really rather not but since you do have a point..." Awai looked down into her lap. Did she have to tell him all her painful memories? How could she? She didn't even know him.
"I understand. Some things I wouldn't want to tell you either." Now he was moving towards the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee. "Maybe you can tell me your name today and the rest can be for later." Sip.
"My name is Henshoku Awai." BLUSH.
"Nice to meet you, Henshoku Awai. I'm Seidaku Musha." Sip.
"Oh yeah! Nice to meet you, too!"
* * *
Yougo's hand once again fell to the crystal that he had chained around his neck. His grandfather had dyed an hour ago and he left him that in his will. There was something significant about that crystal that was not told to him. No one ever bothered to tell him everything. Actually, his grandfather was the last one living in his family besides him. Now he was the only one left.
"Yougo- san!"
"Yes?" It was Kanojo, his grandfather's little secretary. "What is it?"
"Yougo- san, they want to see you." She looked at him with concern. It was har for him to deal with so many deaths. Everytime, he would have to meet with the lawyers, settle the funds that went to the Queen and how much he could keep. His inheritances made him quite a wealthy young man so he didn't really have to work but he was awefully lonely. She always had a secret dream that he was really in love with her, but she knew that it was just a wild fantasy.
She started to walk outside to catch the bus. Her job was gone since the Old Man was gone. Now all there was to do was to go home.
"Hey! Kanojo- chan!" Kurai waved at her from across the street. "Come on! Come with me to the cafe."
"Okay! Sure."
The cafe was down the street from Yougo's house. They got there a few moments later and sat down by the window. "So, Kanojo- chan. What's going to happen now that the Old Man is dead?"
"I really don't know. I guess I'll have to find a new job." She played with her spoon and put it down suddenly. "Or I could just ask to stay since there was no notice to my sudden job difficulties and hold on to the position."
"Or... you can come and do nothing with me!" Kurai stood up in her little determined pose. Her life was way way way too boring to be normal. What could she really do? Being withdrawn was good for now. Maybe something fun later...
"Kurai- chan, you're going to get into big trouble one of these days. You know what the ruler does to people like you."
"Oh whatever. So what if I die from horrible torture? Better than sitting here, doing nothing, drinking this crappy coffee, and going to school." She banged her cup down on the table. "This coffee is crappy! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CUBAN COFFEE GROWERS!?!?"
Kanojo was halfway humiliated since the whole cafe was staring at Kurai. She always had to have the weird friends didn't she? SIGH. "Kurai- chan, do you have to be so loud. Everyone can hear you."
"GOOD! I WANT EVERYONE TO HEAR ME! I THINK WE DESERVE BETTER COFFEE AND I THINK WE SHOULD GET IT NOW!" She climbed on the table. This was just getting worse and worse for Kanojo. "I THINK WE SHOULD BOYCOTT THIS CAFE UNTIL THEY GET US SOME GODDAMN DRINKABLE COFFEE!"
"Eh-hehe." Kanojo slid down into her seat until she was nearly under the table. She was going to die. Any minute now, she was going to smack Kurai so hard...
* * *
End of Part 1
Also drawing the manga...