Disclaimer: I do not own any of Masashi Kishimoto's characters. The only things I own here are my characters and my story. Don't steal them – it makes me cranky. I do use a few quotes and references from other things, but I'll let you know when I do.
Key:
"speaking"
"thoughts"
non-English terminology
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:: Threnody of the Harbinger ::
by: Hikari Minamoto
Prologue: Overture to a Dirge
War...
Can you imagine it?
A young woman sits on the rooftop of a billion-dollar corporation's skyscraper. The wind is strong tonight, but there are no clouds to obstruct the moonlight. Even so, the light from the city streets is blinding. It's blocking out the stars – it's just that bright. The woman seems slightly annoyed. Her visible brown eye is narrowed, her mouth turned into a slight frown. She wishes she could see them again.
"War..." she mouths silently over into the wind, turning her attention to things more important. Her silky brunette tresses are starting to escape from their odango style – the stray tresses give her a rugged sort of look. The string-style eye patch makes her dangerous. She shivers slightly and pulls the black trench coat more tightly around herself. Who is she? Why is she here? What war does she speak of? Tonight, Tokyo looks the same as it ever has. Her lights are still bright as ever, the sounds of traffic louder than this woman should like. This world appears completely and absurdly normal. Again, she repeats the word. Why?
Suddenly, the woman smiles. Is it a real smile? The pained look in her eye, the wretched expression...
"The quickest way to end it...is to lose it..." Her voice is trembling – one can tell something's amiss. The woman lets a deranged sort of laugh escape her as she pulls out her handgun and positions the muzzle to her temple – her finger on the trigger. "I'll end it tonight," she says and pulls it...
So...can you imagine it now?
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Note: The woman's first words are actually a variation on a quote from George Orwell: "The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it."