(Yoshi3000 is at his desk by himself)
Yoshi3000: Disclaimer time, the following properties belong to Ken Akamatsu and Chakan: The Forever Man is property of Robert Klaus. The original one-shot belong to Snafu. Please enjoy the show.
(Motoko kicks open the door to see the author)
Motoko: Social interaction at last!
Yoshi3000: Oh sweet mercy…
Death's a Blessing, Immortality's a Curse
The Sequel One-shot to Motoko : The Forever Kendoka by Snafu the Great
"Accept me and I shall grant life everlasting. Though it shall be filled with grief, though shalt have all eternity to wreak vengeance upon thine enemies."
— Lester DeRosso, Bravely Default
Today marks my one thousandth and eighteenth birthday, but it gets to the point where I don't bother celebrate it. I have no people to celebrate it with. Humans are not to live so long because it devalues life itself.
My name is Motoko Aoyama and this was my curse to bear.
Back in the day of old, I was a master kendoka and heir to the Shinmeiryu School of Swordsmanship. I defeated my sister, Tsurko Aoyama, and had her admit I was superior. If anything, I became more like her because I would kicked my past self for standing around postulating and claiming my victory, like some haughty greenhorn child. I claimed to be the best and unstoppable, and then Izaniami dropped in my life for a challenge. I won but I truly lost. Now I continue to walk on this Earth alone within Japan or what's left.
The Earth isn't exactly a pleasant live in now. I had no idea if there even a scrap of humanity left behind due to the amount of war and demons plaguing the land. My mistake was not training others to fight the evils of this world. I was too full of pride. I would have other people around me at least, but now I have no one. I have no enemies to fight, but all I have is time. With time, I perfected my sword art so well that I formed my own style beyond my original Shinmeiryu teaching. The perfect sword art, "Cursed Immortal" would be my sole achievement, but I had no one to share it with.
Even though, I was immortal and ageless, Changes did occur to my body. Walking the Earth slaying demons had made me a tapestry of muscles. My hair became long enough to reach my waist. My chest grew much to my ever growing dismay to a point I could rival Mitsune. Every day, looking in the shattered mirror in my old room, I'd see my sister in the reaction. So I spent my time with "hobbies" to bide my time. It was better than wasting my time moping.
With living forever, I at least had to keep busy so I picked up my former friend's hobbies. I took up Su's inventing (but I couldn't reach the mad scientist level of it), Shinobu's cooking (I'm quite close to her level), Mitsumi's gardening (I can at least grow food for myself), Keitaro's unarmed martial arts, and Mitsune's drinking (to my dismay, it's the only thing I can use to drown the pain). I took up none of the hobbies from Naru to due to my extreme loathing for her. While I did now loathe all my former friends (except Shinobu and Keitaro), they had something worthwhile I could be doing. The day would begin with the alarm clock blaring the same song, Forever Young.
Forever young, I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, forever and ever?
Forever young, I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever? Forever young
I get up, get dressed in the same hamaka I wear full of little tears in tatters, and get to breakfast. After eating alone, I get to the morning katas. While I still had Shisui, I also carried the Hina Blade along with my sister's nodachi katana, Etānaru. While I was no real fan of anime, due to my youthful arrogance of things other than swordsmanship a waste of time, I found enjoyment in it now. After the katas, I'd spend the morning hours watching said anime over a laptop and makeshift projector. I was glad I gained enough skills from Su's notes. However, thanks to immortality, I had watched nearly every single anime in existence. This was a day I'd be dreading, that I would be bored. Boredom was now my enemy, it was something I couldn't kill or fight. It might as well be Izaniami's greatest demon because it was pure torture. You could put me through prison, slavery, and even death, and I'd take those any day other than being bored with immortality. For it only cheapens the value of anything I ever did. In my time, I mastered other fighting styles and even got into firearms, but in vain. Immortality made my accomplishments pointless because unlike mortals, I had all the time in the world to master everything, watch everything, and do anything I wanted.
Some are like water, some are like the heat
Some are a melody and some are the beat
Sooner or later, they all will be gone
Why don't they stay young?
I had to spend the rest of the morning wandering the streets remembering the good times I had and the mistake I'd made. It was depressing, but routine for the past thousand years. I always stopped by Toudai to remember Keitaro's promise in life. I now admire his resolve and only wished I'd done right by him. Between this and more training, I'd come home to make dinner for myself. However this time, Izaniami was waiting for me in the remains of the dining room.
"Look at you, trying to make a life for yourself with your immortality." She said to me mockingly.
"Just leave to my loneliness! Unless you've come to let me die, take your undead ass out of here!" I barked gripping Shisui.
I was tempted, oh so tempted, to gut Izaniami, but it was pointless to do so. She laughed at me and I couldn't help but break down.
"In your time, you mastered five languages, learned five styles of fighting, learned mechanics, and watched enough anime to make any otaku jealous. All of it, pointless." She said me walking past me. "Oh and I know you still long for him. I could bring him here to join you, but alas, you hate men."
She left me alone to break down to cry bitter tears. In my past, I treated men with such disdain. Now, I moan for the man I "hated" the most. The cold nights would be spent with one hand down my womanhood with the pathetic attempt to pleasure oneself. Of course, it wouldn't help the insatiable desire and lust I had for him.
"Keitaro! Keitaro! Keitaro…."
Tonight was no different…
The next morning would come, and I'd wake up soaked in shame and regrets. I'd say I'd give anything for a change in this monotony, but that's the same attitude that got me in this mess. I could build something to escape this barren world, but even with my newfound skills, I'd still need more than one person to build it.
So this is my curse, to forever exist on a barren planet with no blessing of death. Killing myself wouldn't help, I've been trying for thousands of years, but I'd just regenerate/respawn back to safety. Everytime Izaniami would remind of our terms. Barred from the afterlife, I am doomed to live forever and ever and ever…with no end in sight.
(A/N: I don't know if I can call this as good as Snafu, but I wanted to delve into what Motoko would do with her days as an immortal. I really got into thinking that really her torture would be coming from there's little to do, no feasible way for her to escape the barren Earth, and the fact she couldn't die. Also, it's a little setup to third arc for a certain reality warper.)
