Attn: I hope you liked the first chapter of my story. Like I said last time, I will, sooner or later, be doing an Inuyasha fanfiction story…as soon as my teacher lightens up on my homework load. If I don't get a break, I'll keep working on this one, and then start posting the Inuyasha one as soon as summer break starts. Can't wait!
Attn: Due to some rather irritating social issues at school that I have to deal with, I may be posting chapters a bit slower than before. If anyone is actually reading this, don't go nuts waiting. I'll get chapters up ASAP.
Attn: PLEASE write reviews! I need feedback in order to make changes to it to make it better! I had the first chapter up for a week and only one person wrote a review…it made me wonder why I was even doing this. And then I remembered—I like writing stuff! But please, don't make me feel like this story is one big act in futility… please review.
Attn: please forgive any miserable typos that my spell check doesn't catch. My "A" key is a bit jammed on my computer, so sometimes it doesn't work. Or, I could just be typing too fast!
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Chapter 2: Sunset Soaked in Tears
The closer Rei Luna and Saiyaran drew to their hometown of Tida, the more faded and bleak the landscape grew.
"A fell wind blows…something is very wrong…" Rei Luna said in a voice barely over a whisper. Saiyaran's face crumpled. It was too late to save Tida. They hurried onward anyway.
As they rounded the crest of the hill towards the village, the sight that met the young travelers' eyes froze them to the spot, leaving them unable to move or utter a word from their mouths.
The aura from Tida's crystal was gone. Thick, moldy spores covered everything in a layer of shadowy fuzz. Deadly-looking mushrooms sprouted up all over the place. There was no sign of life anywhere. The aura of Rei Luna's chalice surrounded them both as they entered their old home. Familiar sights were distorted to the point were they were unrecognizable. Saiyaran closely followed behind Rei Luna, being especially careful not to stray outside the chalice's protective aura. He froze when they passed the market. His family had been merchants. He tugged at Rei Luna's sleeve.
"We have to stop here." He said defiantly. Rei Luna turned to look at him. The pain in his eyes melted her heart a little. Saiyaran was sure that, if only for a brief instant, he saw the edge of her thin Selkic mouth curve up into a half-hearted smile.
"…alright." She said after a long while. She walked towards the moldy, rotting door of a dilapidated shop. As she took a hold of the doorknob, it came off in her hands, and the door itself fell to pieces. She tossed it aside, and then stepped over the worn doorframe. Saiyaran brushed against what used to be one of the walls of his home. The paint was so broken down by the miasma that it peeled off and left a grayish stain on his brown sleeve. He dusted it off and watched it disappear into the mist. Rei Luna looked disgusted at the state of her surroundings.
"…ugh…the smell of this place is foul. What the hell DID you sell here exactly?" she said, her nose wrinkled and her face contorted as she tried not to retch.
"We sold materials for weapons and shields and the like. We would sell them to people on their way to Alfitaria. It's…it was cheaper to buy the raw materials from us…" Saiyaran's voice trailed off.
"Then what smells like death?" Rei Luna asked bluntly. It was a dumb question- there was death everywhere around them. Saiyaran shot her a wry look. She stared at her feet to avoid his gaze. "Sorry… that was stupid…"
Something caught Saiyaran's attention on the floor. It was a dagger made out of some sort of dark blue crystal-like material. He picked it up and brushed a layer of black mold off it. He hacked a little when he inhaled it. Rei Luna peeked over his shoulder at it.
"Ooooh… pretty…" she said, her icy Selkic eyes sparkling slightly. Saiyaran pulled it away from her and jammed it in his satchel.
"Back off, Selkie! This belongs to me! Keep your thieving hands away from it!" he snapped. Rei Luna looked hurt.
"Hmph. Just like a Clavat to be so prejudiced and stereotypical. Why don't you go and farm some bannock wheat with the rest of your clan?" she shot back.
"Because I think they're all DEAD, fool!" Saiyaran sighed after this uncharacteristic outburst. Rei Luna looked a little stunned. She had never seen him mad before. "Fighting with you is like bickering with my older brother." He muttered.
"Your brother?" Rei Luna asked, her voice softening.
"Yeah…Turin…I wonder what happened to him…" he asked to no one in particular.
"Maybe it is best if you never found out." Rei Luna replied. Saiyaran nodded solemnly. Although he wanted to believe that his family had escaped before the miasma took them, he knew he would be trying to catch a fish in the air if he allowed himself to believe in such foolish dreams. "Anything else you want?" Rei Luna asked with a touch of sympathy in her voice. Saiyaran had been traveling with her for over a year now, and the tone she used was one that he had never heard from her before; it was as if she was speaking to a cornered, wounded animal or to a frightened young child.
"To leave his place," he said after staring at the four walls for some time, "this isn't my home anymore."
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Alright, so that was chapter 2. PLEASE review—don't make me lose faith in this site's popularity, because I've heard so much about it from so many people. Just take ONE MINUTE and review. C'mon people, it's one lousy minute away from your instant messaging windows. Your friends won't go insane without you. Trust me, I would know. People specifically IGNORE ME when I'm on msn and I really couldn't care less.
