Dims: Wow…. That was fast.
Era: What are you talking about? You are the slowest updater ever!
Sahara: (is on fire) Yeah. What. About. ME!
Dims: eheheheheh. I'm gonna go hide now. (Runs away from the furious Sahara)
Riley: (bows) Please enjoy the second chapter of There is Sadness Here.
Roses are red, violets are blue. I don't own, please don't sue. :)
And Yume Ninja, your review reply is underneath everything else at the bottom of the page. Thanks a billion for your review!
Dedicated to KewlKayko from DeviantArt and Yume Ninja. Also Zena Silverwing who suffers through my hours of babbling about this story even though she hates YYH.
Requiem for the Dreamer
Chapter 2: You've Been Warned
"Some secrets need to be kept,
Some stories should never be told."
~Hilary Duff
Dangerous to Know
People were fighting all around me but they didn't seem to notice me. Blood soaked the ground and saturated the air. Terror filled my heart but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't move my feet. A feeling of despair filled the air around me, soaking into my soul as I frantically searched for some means of escape. That was when I saw him.
A little boy darted between the legs of the larger figures, demons I realized. His dark head bobbed up and down and his purple eyes glinted as he cut the legs out from under some of the demons. I stared, stunned into stillness, as he cleared the battlefield and then ran into a tent, removing the messenger bag that was slung over his shoulders. A powerful voice rang from the tent as approximately half of the fighters on the field began to retreat. The faces I saw were of men, women, and even a few children. Blood spattered their cheeks and many were clutching wounds. The scent of the blood made me wretch. Healers rushed from the protection of the tents to try to heal the wounded. Several I could tell were water demons from the canteens they kept at their sides but one, a girl in dark leather, was healing it seemed through spirit energy alone, and her healing was the fastest.
I looked at the retreating fighters all around me. Some were demons, some creatures of fantasy: elves, dwarves, and a pale folk I recognized but couldn't identify. There were even ogres wielding clubs. A group of forbidding women in dark cloaks glided in front of the host of fighters and created a force field that crackled with energy, preventing the enemy group of fighters from following, trapping them in a circular area. The strange healer girl shouted something into the sky in a language I couldn't understand. Suddenly something eclipsed the red glow of the demon world sun. I looked up and then to see the silhouette of a scaly body, powerful wings, dagger like claws. With a roar, the dragon hurled the rock down on us from the heavens. Just as I was about to be crushed...
…I woke up in a cold sweat, my sheets tangled around my legs. That boy. He was the one from the library. Yesterday he had just seemed quiet, almost unfeeling. Today he seemed malicious, deadly. Frightening. I shuddered and wondered why I would dream such an awful thing.
Then there was that girl. She had seemed different from the other healers. She didn't look like a healer. Despite my dislike of stereotypes, I had long ago noticed that most healers are more delicate. Don't get me wrong, healers are very powerful, but they have more fragile features and they are often slender. This girl was powerfully built, rough features and a stocky frame. She had also seemed to have some sort of additional authority, issuing orders of some sort. I tried to remember exactly what she looked like and blinked in surprise as I realized that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember her face. I tried to grasp the dream, pull it back, desperate for some reason to remember her face. But it was futile. The harder I pulled the faster it slipped until I only had my analysis from earlier to remember her. There was absolutely no picture left in my mind at all.
Why did it matter? It was just a dream. The smell of fresh pancakes wafted into my room and I scurried to get dressed and into the kitchen.
"Morning, Kiddo!" My dad said as I dashed into the kitchen and started buttering the pancakes already on my plate.
I mumbled something like, "Morming, Mad," through my mouthful of food. I swallowed and tried again. "How was yesterday?" I never could stop myself from trying.
"Fine," he said, like he does every year. "What did you do yesterday?"
"I went to the records room. The other day I was looking through a book about different kinds of demons, but the section on lightning demons had been torn out," I started, hoping that maybe my dad would know something. "So yesterday I went to try and found out as much as I could about lightning demons. Only when I went to put one book away, this kid with purple eyes grabbed it and disappeared. I asked George about him and he said that he and his mom had been at my christening, but that his mom got sick so we had never met." I blew my hair out of my tan face as I stuffed more pancakes into my mouth.
"Oh, you met Kouryuu (1)? I didn't know he left his mother's apartments anymore," my dad said with a bit of interest.
"Is that his name? Yeah. He was kind of creepy." I shuddered as I remembered the look on his face as he had mortally wounded the larger demons. "Who is his mother? George said she was a high ranking spirit."
"She's…well, she…she was an advisor to the general during the Great War," my father said almost hesitantly. "Her son was a message runner, even though he was very young. It was a terrible war, Moru. Children fought and died, so young. I remember fighting. Koenma had deployed us because the army was so depleted. I saw child soldiers fight to the death. Kouryuu is lucky to still be alive." He shook his head to rid it of the memories.
Something from my dream surfaced again. Kouryuu had been carrying a messenger bag in my dream. Coincidence? Or was my mind being influenced somehow by a more powerful psychic? I shook myself and concentrated on what my dad was saying. "He's always been a quiet kid. Solemn. I doubt he even remembers how to hold a civilized conversation; he's been stuck with his mom so long. It's a shame. She used to be very strong. Now she's wasting away."
"What's wrong with her?" I asked, wiping syrup off my nose. Now how had it gotten there?
There was something strange in my father's tone as he answered that made me focus again. "The doctor's say something's wrong with her heart." He snorted. I looked at him questioningly. "I've met Anrui (2)," he said quietly in answer. "There's nothing wrong with her physically. She's dying of a broken heart. Her eldest daughter died in the War and she's never recovered."
I looked down at my pancakes and suddenly I didn't have an appetite anymore.
My father broke the heavy silence. "I hear Kayani's woken up. Why don't you go hang out with her today?"
I nodded. I wanted to do something other than the library. I would do anything, anything other than the library.
I pulled on my shoes and started jogging to Kayani's. Pity for the woman—Anrui, my dad had called her—and the thought of child soldiers refused to leave my head the whole way. I was panting slightly as I reached the door of her apartments. I needed to go to the gym more. I lifted a hand to knock and the door flew open. Kayani was definitely awake. Show off.
"Morning Uncle Hiei," I greeted my uncle as he drank his morning cup of coffee. He grunted at me and nodded as I made my way to Kayani's room.
Kayani painted her room herself. The walls are all black with spirals of red and silver. She said it was calming and restful. I thought it was depressing at first but came to agree as we spent hours together, ever since we were small children. Kayani and I were born only a few months apart, just after the Great War—she was older than I was—and since our fathers were friends, it was natural that we would spend time together.
The melancholy tones of a bamboo flute floated through the air mixed with the lingering scent of incense. She sat on the bed, holding an exquisitely crafted flute to her lips and playing melodies that could break your heart and yet managed to send a chill up your spine. The last note drifted from the instrument before she put it down, her face a mask of boredom.
"Morning, Moru," she said, her tone matching her expression. Kayani looks nice enough, a pointed chin—her face was shaped sort of like a strawberry—a small nose, red eyes, and long, black and white hair she keeps in high pigtails.
"Hey, Kay," I said as I lay on the rug beside her bed. "So, anything interesting on your retreat?" I asked.
"No," she said. "I still haven't been able to make it through that one set of barriers, and no one outside those walls has anything interesting to think. The only thing that came out of it was that I think someone left the protection of the shields; only they had such a strong personal shield I couldn't get to their thoughts. I couldn't even lock onto his position to get a visual."
Kayani has a very powerful ability to see things with her mind and to read other peoples thoughts. For a decade and a half now we've been trying to break through the shields that are around the restricted section.
"Oh well," I said, shrugging, "we've got all the time in the world to figure it out," I said. "Waddaya want to do today?" I asked, hoping she would have some idea.
"I heard that the Spirit World records have been opened to the public. Let's go check it out."
I internally groaned. When Kayani wanted to do something, that was what you did or you got your ass kicked and then that's what you did. Someone has got to be messing around with my fate, I thought.
Soon we were walking through the huge doorway of the records room. I'd already been, so I let Kayani lead the way. She, like I, snorted and walked past the section on our parents and headed to the back of the huge room. By huge, I mean like Bigger than the biggest building and taller than the Empire States building. The ceiling high above was decorated with ancient symbols forming the borders of the seven pictures representing the 7 races: Humans, Spirits, Elves, Vampires, Dwarves, Demons, and Children of the Night. The seven legendary races that had fought together in the Great War.
I gazed up at the intricate designs. There was something that connected each picture. But what was it? I quickly realized that the figures in the paintings—whether through a glance or an extended hand—all gestured towards the design in the center. It resembled a yin yang symbol only it was created with two Chinese dragons, one black and one white, each devouring the other in a symbol of eternity. Both the dragons had a ruby for an eye and set in between them was a red rose. Its thorns were sharp, yet a small brown dragon curled around its stem to sniff its sweet fragrance.
I wandered behind Kayani, totally entranced by the beauty. In the back of my mind I hoped that she remembered the way back and prayed that I would be able to guide myself back using the ceiling if she decided to abandon me. Knowing Kayani, it was not out of the question.
"Moru! Get over here!" she called, jerking me from my thoughts.
"What?" I called to her as I jogged to catch up.
Her hand was on what appeared to be a section of the curved wall except that it had moved to reveal a pitch-black entrance.
"Cool," I whispered in awe.
"Come on," she said, tugging my wrist. "Let's go!"
She pulled me into a dark, dusty room filled with boxes. A sphere of my spirit energy illuminated the dank, dusty room. Cobwebs hung like huge collections of snowflakes in the corners. A chill came over me as I surveyed the room. Something wasn't right here. Crates were stacked haphazardly, piles scattered about the room. They were the kind of boxes that Spirit world used to collect testimony, photographs, and documents pertaining to cases or happenings. Each and every one of the boxes was labeled, "OPERATION: BANE"
"Whoa," I said, stunned.
"Why would someone go through all the trouble to hide these files?" Kayani whispered. "And why here? Of all the places to hide records, why in the Room of Records itself?"
"I don't know," I said as I blew dust off of one of the boxes. "Lets find out."
We quickly discovered that the boxes consisted mostly of tapes with a few sets of documents in between, so we reserved a viewing room. They were mostly empty since everyone was in the rooms towards the front watching videos of the dark tournament or the fights with Sensui.
Each room had a table, several chairs, an audio tape player, and a projector so that patrons could examine all the records. I gently set the box down on the table and Kayani and I sat to examine the contents more closely. The first thing that we pulled out was a small packet of paper. Kayani dragged her chair next to mine and began to read. That was the beginning. Neither of us were prepared for the horror those files contained.
Operation Bane: Mission Outline
Operation objective: To confirm suspicions based on the Orion prophesy and act if necessary.
Agents involved: Hiei Jaganshi, Yusuke Urameshi, Kurama Minamino, Kazuma Kuwabara.
Subject: Riley Eli McKliney (3)
There was a picture tacked onto the top of the first page. The girl was pretty. That was the first thought that came into Mamoru's head. Red brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. Her brown eyes seemed to be smiling all by themselves without the help of the broad grin that stretched from ear to ear. Her face was at an angle, as though she was interacting with someone else. A candid photo. She was short, slightly pudgy, but also muscular in some way. She seemed cute and innocent, staring at the world through her glasses. Why would she be of any interest to Spirit World?
Age: 11
Date of birth: 1/13/1995
Mother: Sarah McKliney
Father: Connor McKliney
Brother: Ian McKliney
Other info: She enjoys rock music, is good in school. Healthy but not particularly strong.
Mission Guidelines: Riley is unpredictable. She clings, so do not let her get attached. If she believes you to be imaginary, allow her to do so. DO NOT, under any circumstances allow her to know why you are there. DO NOT interfere with any psychic development. DO NOT get attached
Mamoru frowned. Why would she believe the spirit detectives imaginary? Why were they there? And there was something suspicious about how it specifically ordered them not to get attached.
Mission Info: America, suburb.
Special info: Subject exists in dimension 781156025. A special portal will be opened using the gem ofkaisetsu.(4)
He stared, dumbfounded at that piece of information. Spirit World, interfering with other dimensions?
The file ended there. Mindlessly, Mamoru reached for the first tape. If he had bothered to read the small note that had been on the top of the tapes, but which now lay forgotten in the dusty room, he might not have touched the tapes. He might have left them alone, convinced Kayani that they shouldn't meddle. But fate has other plans.
As for that lonely peace of paper? It sat, motionless on the floor stating simply in a messy script: "This story does not have a happy ending."
Not far away, in the depths of spirit world's most carefully guarded rooms, Kouryuu knelt near a window, hidden in the shadows cast by the sharp angle of the sun.
"Hello, Mother."
A figure sat on the window seat, bathed in sunlight. She stared emotionlessly out the window to the gardens below.
"Hi, Shaks(5)"
Dims: (sneaks back on) I finally lost her
Shahara: Gotcha!
Dims: Yikes! (runs away)
Kouryuu: -.-'''''
Kayani: Please review!
(1) Kouryuu means rain dragon.
(2) Anrui means silent tears
(3) No one is allowed to yell at me. I DID NOT misspell McKinley. This is just the name that popped into my head for Riley.
(4)Kaisetsu means opening. And the number is totally random.
(5)Shaks is pronounced like shocks, not shacks.
Translations according to .
Okay, we are having a change Title poll! Several existing options are (there are a lot of them):
Lightning always strikes twice (I like this, but I was planning it on saving it for something else)
The Chronicles of Riley McKliney (yuck!)
Time to Shine (ehhh….not so enthusiastic on this one)
The Road Less Traveled (totally random just now)
The Legacy of Riley
A Hero's Legacy
A Hero's path
The Path of the Hero
What makes a Hero?
Wilted Rose
Orion Prophecy
Submit your own!
Please help by voting! Reviews are nice too.
Yume Ninja: Thanks sooooo much for your support. I hope you enjoy the story. You are awesome! Peace out! Dims
~Bye~