The Truth about Heaven
Written by Aries Fortuna (082707)
01 : Shinto Shrine
"Sparkling angel, I believe,
You were my savior in my time of need."
Night is like any other. Despite the weather, the temperature, the company, the habitat, nights blend in one after another with time. Tonight becomes last night, the other night, one night, one time: it is a degrading cycle. It was the brink of autumn and winter, where the cold kiss of snow threatened with every sweep of the northern wind. It was just a night, like any other. But, for all of her years, this would be the night. It would be remain as the only night that would feel like yesterday for a hundred thousand years.
The softest scuffing of a shoe against the concrete steps warned the sleeping monster. The intruder remained unaware as pale arms stretched stiff muscles, every movement graceful and silent. The fluttering of the ravens' wings outside startled the visitor, made dark blue eyes narrow and search the shadows. It's nothing, just the birds, the wind. The creak of the wooden flat boards was inevitable in the abandoned shrine, their caretaker having long since left them neglected. Alone – except for the birds.
Cautious, his eyes scanned the large room, noting the exits and the entrances to the outside, the hallway, the other rooms. It was spacious, dark and, most importantly, abandoned. Not another soul could interrupt his thoughts and his peace. For all of his confidence that the old shrine was perfect, his body remained tense and alert. Careful, he stepped around the room as if he were walking on the thinnest of ice, his eyes tracing over every detail.
He memorized the positions of the shabby furniture that remained after the public and the thieves had taken their share – very little remained. A low table rested upturned on its back; it pinned a large piece of formerly ivory cloth; dust settled onto both of these objects. Little else remained in the area, and that both satisfied and disturbed him. To leave a Shinto shrine abandoned in such a way, this idea would have once upset a majority of the public, his people.
Government swine.
The crease of his brow and the scowl that darkened his face followed this thought, resentment burning in his gaze. With effort, he pushed the troublesome thoughts from his mind; he had to focus on his task.
Dark blue eyes lingered over the dust and cobwebs that added unattractive age to the shrine. There was little else to be taken from the once respected building; this assured him that there would hopefully be no unwanted visitors. It helped that the shrine was said to be haunted by the spirit that had once been worshipped there. He did not know if this was true, but the ghost stories helped to keep the place abandoned of lurkers. Satisfied for the moment, he shot one last glance through the room before quietly walking outside, fingers clutching the strap of a black backpack he had been carrying.
Unusual violet eyes had taken in every movement of the male, watching even as his head disappeared down the steps and onto the street. Curious, the monster that had remained still and hidden in the darkest of corners stepped into the dim room, tracing the exact footsteps of the shrine's visitor. Small feet paused suddenly by the low table, the pale gaze focused intently upon the object that lay forgotten on the floor. Before any mental debate could take place, long fingers had gingerly plucked the item from the ground, the fingertips lightly holding the edges of the rectangular piece of plastic.
In the corner of the card, the evening creature gazed upon the face that was captured in a small box. It was young, but the eyes were hardened and aged, the jaw set in stubborn determination. The pads of pale fingers drifted over the small black font that stood bold against the image. Cold lips felt stiff as they moved to silently mouth the two words, a name. Once more, they moved, a quiet voice that seemed stranger to her own ears escaping from her throat. She read the name: "Heero Yuy."
Curiosity began to manifest itself, momentarily replacing plans of self destruction.
---
He had not returned the next day. She shrugged, mentally telling herself that she did not care. Slinking out of the shrine, she traveled into the nearby woods, going a long way to find wildlife.
---
Still, there was no sign of the male. She wondered if he did not find the shrine to his satisfaction. The card rested on the floor in the room, right where he stood for the longest. She felt the hunger dissipate.
---
The room was painted with a gray atmosphere; the beast rolled onto its back and stared at the ceiling with cold eyes. The card was another forgotten item, like the table and the cloth. Once again, the monster pondered how long it would take before starvation would push its body to the state of permanent, inanimate death.
---
The three tones of the campus bell appealed to the mass of students as they trickled from various buildings towards the gates. Easily, they had passed through the iron fence work with its four security guards staking a post on either side. Like spots in the dark blue sea of jackets, there were students in pure white blazers, all in a small number of three per every sighting. It was noticeable how the regular students avoided these ivory clad persons as they crowded around the misfortunate person – their assignment to 'watch'.
Remaining carefully detached from the looks that were directed his way, Heero Yuy strolled casually to the gates. He ignored the upperclassmen that became his unwanted entourage; he pretended as if he was not a dark blue speck skirted by three white visions. One of his supposed bodyguards turned to him as they approached the gate, looking down at him from the inch of height that separated them. She seemed more easygoing than her two male companions, her emerald eyes flashing bright despite the overcast weather.
"Your new identification card should come in tomorrow morning. Try not to lose it again, Yuy." She laughed as if she told a joke, a heavy hand thumping his back good-naturedly. Her identification card (the one he somehow lost a few days ago) was securely clipped to her partially unbuttoned white blouse, the pale blazer open and navy tie hanging loosely from her neck. Makoto Kino, a sophomore like himself, but with strength and fighting experience that quickly earned her a position within the university's trusted council.
He had no recollection of any abuse in power from her group; however that didn't guarantee the other groups wouldn't fully take advantage of their good fortune and skills. He said nothing in response to her statements, nodding his head if only to seem less rude. There was no need to cause trouble over a lost identification card; no matter that he had been placed under constant surveillance by the council for three days. Heero had survived his first mistake at the university, and he knew he could not risk making another – else he would be under the council's scrutiny. Bad choice there.
Again, he could feel her hand on his back as she lightly pushed him forward, clearing the gates in rapidly taken steps. He almost missed the salutation as she waved over her shoulder, "See ya around, Heero."
Calmly, he turned and headed towards the transit stop for the local city buses, his backpack hanging heavy from his left shoulder as he waited. He stood and waited, pretending to look down the road for the bus; inconspicuously, he scanned the group of students that had gathered around him. They laughed and chatted, some loud and others quiet, their conversations melting into a mess of background noise. He didn't feel as if he was being followed.
The bus rolled to a stop, doors swinging open as people descended and others stepped inside. Heero followed, swiping the special pass with the gold strip. It was a temporary that had to be renewed every day; that was the university council's regulations. That was the government's way of keeping a thumb on any public misfits. He hid his anger well, ducking his head and moving to stand beside the back doors. His eyes made another sweep of the occupants before he decided that it seemed safe enough for him to continue to his destination.
Today, he would return to the shrine.
The quote in the beginning is from Within Temptation's song, Angels. Just something I was playing while I was writing this chapter.
Three familiar characters have been introduced, no action. I struggled with the ending of this chapter and I felt that this could have started off a lot better. Oh well. I hope that everyone will support me by commenting and giving me some feedback! Thank you.
All Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon characters are copyright of Naoko Takeuchi.
All Mobile Suit Gundam Wing characters belong to their respected owners. I claim no right to these characters.