I hate having flash insights. Especially when they're in an
anime I'm not writing about. I blame Radler for this one.
***
"... Look, son. Mother's still broken up about it."
Keiichi furrowed his brow. "Still no word from the police?"
There was a distinct sound like a wail.
"No. No. Gotta go, son. Mother is going into hysterics again."
He replaced the receiver, and sat back. It would mean that he wouldn't
be going home pretty soon. It had only been days since they had reported
Megumi's disappearance, but the authorities were quickly running out of
leads. It seemed that she had been abducted at some point on the way to
his dorm, but where and how this was done couldn't be figured out.
He sat in the silence of the empty dorm room, not wanting to open the
small TV set: the news had gotten some coverage after all. His stomach
grumbled; he didn't like the tension, but there was nothing to do. He
quickly dialed for take-out.
"You have reached the Goddess Relief Office."
"Huh?" He clutched his unlistening innards.
"Your request is being processed. Please standby." *clik*
He stared at the receiver in a disbelieving manner.
"Hello?"
Now that's strange, he thought. I'm hearing voices. And a girl's voice,
too. Could it be Meg...?
He turned to see a half of a girl jutting from a mirror.
***
He shook his fist at the retreating steps. "You bastards! After all
this time they STILL throw me out over some dumb rule!"
Belldandy picked herself up.
Keiichi cursed himself. "I'm sorry about that. It's just that the dorm
doesn't allow women, and..."
Belldandy unblinkingly fastened her clear hazel eyes on Keiichi. "Do you
have anywhere else to stay?"
The question caught him off guard. "No," he admitted silently.
Taking a hand, Belldandy smiled in an ethereal manner. "Don't worry.
We'll find a place."
***
"Here."
Keiichi parked the tricycle just outside the temple. He wasn't too sure
about it: she could have been a goddess, but this temple was a dump. It
looked like no one had even been here for decades now. "Are you sure?"
Belldandy disappeared.
"Bell? Belldandy?"
He frustratedly took off his helmet and cursed the Heavens themselves.
It was already half-past midnight, no where else to stay.
A stray thought crept in with a smile. With renewed vigor, he scaled the
steps and wondered where she could have gone: the temple loomed large
before him.
***
Keiichi's first step creaked the floorboards. Gods, she was light on her
feet. "Belldandy?" Another step, another creak. "Belldandy... are you
here?"
Lightning flashed, lighting up the hallway he was in.
"Keiichi...?" It was weak, a distant calling.
"Belldandy?" He moved in the direction of the voice, ignoring the
creaking. "Where are you?"
"Keiichi..."
He made better headway along the hallways, even though they were deeper
and deeper into the temple and into the night. Lightning flashed again,
and he thought that he saw her in a room. He turned. "Is that you?"
"Keiichi...?" Yup, it was coming from that room. Tentatively, he slid
the door open.
Lightning bathed the room in light.
"Keiichi..." Megumi moaned, "... why?"
"Me-Megumi..." Keiichi stood transfixed, aghast at the sight of the
decaying ghoul before him. "Wha-what happened...?"
"Why... Keiichi...?" She lumbered a step to him. "Why... kill...
me...?"
"Wha-what are you talking about?"
"They... kill... me... rape... me... for you..." She reached for him
with a loosely muscled arm. "Why...?"
"Bitch!" He finally snapped out of his trance. "You always got the
breaks! Miss Perfect! I was never good enough! Damn you, you won't
even DIE!"
"I... always... loved... you..." There were tears of blood running down
the corpse's broken cheeks.
"No!" Keiichi covered his face with his arms. "Don't come closer! NO!"
Keiichi stumbled backward as the zombie fell on him, their two bodies
crashing through the brittle flooring.
***
The Kindly Ones grimly stared upon the tainted temple. With one thought,
she/they brought lightning to the dry wood, and left the fires to consume
what could not be cleansed.
***
Meager homage to the genius of the Sandman.
Switch
anime I'm not writing about. I blame Radler for this one.
***
"... Look, son. Mother's still broken up about it."
Keiichi furrowed his brow. "Still no word from the police?"
There was a distinct sound like a wail.
"No. No. Gotta go, son. Mother is going into hysterics again."
He replaced the receiver, and sat back. It would mean that he wouldn't
be going home pretty soon. It had only been days since they had reported
Megumi's disappearance, but the authorities were quickly running out of
leads. It seemed that she had been abducted at some point on the way to
his dorm, but where and how this was done couldn't be figured out.
He sat in the silence of the empty dorm room, not wanting to open the
small TV set: the news had gotten some coverage after all. His stomach
grumbled; he didn't like the tension, but there was nothing to do. He
quickly dialed for take-out.
"You have reached the Goddess Relief Office."
"Huh?" He clutched his unlistening innards.
"Your request is being processed. Please standby." *clik*
He stared at the receiver in a disbelieving manner.
"Hello?"
Now that's strange, he thought. I'm hearing voices. And a girl's voice,
too. Could it be Meg...?
He turned to see a half of a girl jutting from a mirror.
***
He shook his fist at the retreating steps. "You bastards! After all
this time they STILL throw me out over some dumb rule!"
Belldandy picked herself up.
Keiichi cursed himself. "I'm sorry about that. It's just that the dorm
doesn't allow women, and..."
Belldandy unblinkingly fastened her clear hazel eyes on Keiichi. "Do you
have anywhere else to stay?"
The question caught him off guard. "No," he admitted silently.
Taking a hand, Belldandy smiled in an ethereal manner. "Don't worry.
We'll find a place."
***
"Here."
Keiichi parked the tricycle just outside the temple. He wasn't too sure
about it: she could have been a goddess, but this temple was a dump. It
looked like no one had even been here for decades now. "Are you sure?"
Belldandy disappeared.
"Bell? Belldandy?"
He frustratedly took off his helmet and cursed the Heavens themselves.
It was already half-past midnight, no where else to stay.
A stray thought crept in with a smile. With renewed vigor, he scaled the
steps and wondered where she could have gone: the temple loomed large
before him.
***
Keiichi's first step creaked the floorboards. Gods, she was light on her
feet. "Belldandy?" Another step, another creak. "Belldandy... are you
here?"
Lightning flashed, lighting up the hallway he was in.
"Keiichi...?" It was weak, a distant calling.
"Belldandy?" He moved in the direction of the voice, ignoring the
creaking. "Where are you?"
"Keiichi..."
He made better headway along the hallways, even though they were deeper
and deeper into the temple and into the night. Lightning flashed again,
and he thought that he saw her in a room. He turned. "Is that you?"
"Keiichi...?" Yup, it was coming from that room. Tentatively, he slid
the door open.
Lightning bathed the room in light.
"Keiichi..." Megumi moaned, "... why?"
"Me-Megumi..." Keiichi stood transfixed, aghast at the sight of the
decaying ghoul before him. "Wha-what happened...?"
"Why... Keiichi...?" She lumbered a step to him. "Why... kill...
me...?"
"Wha-what are you talking about?"
"They... kill... me... rape... me... for you..." She reached for him
with a loosely muscled arm. "Why...?"
"Bitch!" He finally snapped out of his trance. "You always got the
breaks! Miss Perfect! I was never good enough! Damn you, you won't
even DIE!"
"I... always... loved... you..." There were tears of blood running down
the corpse's broken cheeks.
"No!" Keiichi covered his face with his arms. "Don't come closer! NO!"
Keiichi stumbled backward as the zombie fell on him, their two bodies
crashing through the brittle flooring.
***
The Kindly Ones grimly stared upon the tainted temple. With one thought,
she/they brought lightning to the dry wood, and left the fires to consume
what could not be cleansed.
***
Meager homage to the genius of the Sandman.
Switch