Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Three

Seiji was at the computer as he typed away at a college report due in a few days when his mother entered his bedroom with the cordless phone.
"It sounded rather urgent," she explained to him as she tossed the phone to him and then quickly exited the room after he caught it with a single hand. Seiji glanced at the keyboard, and then pinned the telephone between his ear and shoulder as he resumed his typing.
"Hello?"
"Eh, Seiji?"
Seiji rolled his eyes. "Ryo, where are you calling me from? I thought the cabin doesn't have phones."
"It doesn't!" Seiji's eyes narrowed as he dimly heard a car in the background.
"What's wrong?" he asked as his voice became hard.
"Man," Ryo grumbled something low and perhaps foul beneath his breath, "I can't call anyone without them being suspicious."
"Good reason to. The nearest available phone for you is a good eleven miles west of where your cabin is. You said you didn't plan on calling anyone with that distance unless it was an emergency."
"Oh." There was a long pause, and then Seiji heard Ryo sigh on the other end of the line. "Look, I'm not going to beat around the bush with you, but I do have a problem."
"What?" Seiji stopped typing and swiveled away from the computer screen in his chair. He leaned back and felt his spine pop in several areas.
"Well, it's hard to explain. You know how you said that there was something that really didn't belong at the cabin?"
"Yes. What about it?"
"Well, I sort of have a problem with it. Now, I know I said I wouldn't worry about it, but the problem goes beyond that thing. And speaking of which, I also found out what that thing was."
"What?"
"Well, I did some research on the cabin, you know?" Seiji nodded, then felt like an idiot because he knew Ryo could not see the movement. Ryo continued on without waiting for a vocal response. "Listen to this." Seiji heard some shuffling and then paper being unfolded. "A few years before World War Two, some people bought some land high in the mountains. The family was a carpenter, his wife, and their four-year-old daughter. Two years later, the carpenter was called in to fight the war, leaving his wife and girl behind. A year later, he was killed in battle. His wife apparently took it pretty hard. The old timer I spoke to said she never came off the mountain after that. Instead, she sent her daughter for the few groceries needed mail weekly. A year after that, some very unforgivable happened." Seiji listened to the rage appear suddenly Ryo's voice, and waited for his friend to take a few deep breaths to calm troubled nerves.
"Anyway, as I was saying, something terrible happened. No one really knows what happened, but people came up to see the woman and her daughter after two weeks had passed and no one had seen any of them. They found the body of the mother facedown in the well. She had been-" Ryo took another breath "-violently beaten and raped. She was dead when they found her. Her daughter was missing. Since then, there had been numerous sightings concerning a ghost who kept scaring people off the property."
Seiji had a feeling he knew where everything was leading up to, but he knew he should say it anyway just to humor his friend. "And the whole point of this story?"
"The point?" Ryo almost sounded relieved to be asked the question. "The point is, I saw this ghost that is said to be the spirit of the dead woman. She made all kinds of gestures, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. Byakuen doesn't quite like her."
"What does this have to do with me?"
"Okay, Now I realize how you don't like coming up here and all, but could you?" Seiji rolled his eyes at the begging tone. "Oh please? Look, something needs to be done to appease the ghost! Every time I think about what happened, I want to tear her murderers apart. I feel we owe her something."
Wait a minute . . . "We?"
"Sure, we did come on to her property and disturb it, didn't we? And we are the Samurai Troopers? What sort of fighters are we that we allow rapists and murderers free?"
I'm not sure I like the way this is heading. Seiji ran a hand through his hair. "Look, it happened long before we were born. We can't be responsible for that; besides, we have our own lives to live."
"I know that but . . . Well, I think we owe her something after all. I mean, if you were a ghost who had died rather violently, wouldn't you want someone to appease you?" There was a long pause, and then, "Seiji?"
"Yes."
"I'm going to ask a really big favor of you, and it really mean a lot should you say yes, you would do it."
"What is this favor?"
"Now, it's not like it is a bad favor; after all, there are worse things I could ask you, right?"
"Ryo-"
"And it's really no biggy. There's hardly any work involved and-"
"Ryo!"
"What?"
"Just ask what you are going to ask. It's not like you to beat around the bush like this."
"Okay, I was sort of wondering if you would come out here to my cabin."
"You already asked if I would. Why? what help would I be in appeasing ghosts?"
"Well, because you see and hear things the rest of us can't. I mean, you can go deeper beneath the surface than the rest of us can! I really need someone who can talk to spirits, and you seem to be the best bet. I need to find out what must be done to put this spirit to rest."
"Look Ryo, I am not a priest; I am not trained in this sort of thing."
"I know that! But you're also the one who most connected to spiritual stuff, and your jin is courtesy, and I'm probably too blunt to take care of the matter. It's just that I would feel a lot better if I had someone I could trust helping me with this matter. Please? I'm not asking for much. I'll even take your older sister out on a date for one night to get her out of your hair."
There was a long pause. People rarely took Seiji's older sister out, but when she was, she tended to be very pleasant to be around with for a whole week afterwards. It was something Seiji was always grateful for. However, with some proper negotiations . . . "Two dates."
"Oh man! You're really pushing it."
"Hey, I'm not the one asking for a favor here."
"Fine, fine. Whatever. I'll take her out on two dates."
Seiji smiled. It was such a steal! He almost regretted putting Ryo through hell by putting up with Yayoi, but since she never got two dates in a row by the same person, then she was bound to be over-generous and in a doubly good mood. "I will have to finish researching my paper for college, not to mention I do have classes. I will be there for the weekend though, since I don't have classes on Saturday."
"Sure. Say, why don't I come down there and give your sister one of the dates in the meantime."
"What about Byakuen?"
"I was going to drop him off at Nasutei's. Jun would like to see him no doubt, and I don't want any zookeepers coming along and running off with him while I am not there to protest."
Seiji laughed. "I'll speak to you later."
He hung up the phone, swiveled around in his chair, and then resumed his typing.


"Man! I can't believe you are actually doing that!" Shuu gave Ryo a dumbfounded look as he draped himself backwards over his bed. He watched upside-down Ryo attempt to tie a bow tie the way it was supposed to be. "You actually said you would take Yayoi 'the battle-axe' on a date? Woe! Do you have a death wish or what?" Ryo glared at the tie's reflection in the mirror he stood before with annoyance. He began to yank it out of its place.
"Look, I had to get Seiji to do a favor for me."
"Yeah but . . ." Shuu blinked, then rolled around onto his stomach. He regarded Ryo closely. "Were you really that desperate?" Ryo snorted. Shuu had taken Yayoi out on a date once-to repay Seiji for all the homework he had been helped with-and he was scarred for life because of it. He never told them what really happened. Well, he did hint that it involved flying soup and flashing knives, but that was the total extent of it. "I mean, I could have done you the favor."
The tie finally broke under Ryo's questing hands. He gave it a look of annoyance. "This isn't working," he grumbled. He looked at Shuu through the mirror. "Do you have a clip-on tie I could borrow?" he asked.
Shuu rolled off the bed and walked over to his dresser. "I mean, I know you came over to see me about advice about the date, but why didn't you ask Seiji?" He pulled a clip on out of a drawer and tossed it over to his friend.
Ryo gritted his teeth. He quickly snatched the clip on as it whizzed through the air to him. "Look," he began patiently, "it just so happens that I have to take Yayoi out two times. Now, tell me what she really liked as far as you know."
Shuu whistled. "Back up a bit here," he said. "You have to date Yayoi twice? That must be some favor you are asking of Seiji!"
Ryo shrugged as he turned the clip-on bow around in his hands. He tugged his collar down to secure it. "I know. As it is, I don't want to mess up on the first date and then go through hell on the second, if there is a second. You know I always do what I promise to, so I would prefer not to blunder it."
"Okay." Shuu collapsed on his bed again, tucking his hands beneath his neck. He glanced over at Ryo. "First of all, compliment her on her hair, she really likes that. Second of all, whatever you do, don't let on that you know she is nicknamed the battle axe!" Ryo frowned. What exactly went on during his date? He cast Shuu a curious look.
Shuu shrugged sheepishly. "Living with four sisters will make a man careless towards other women's feelings. Well, beyond recognizing whether it's that time of the month of not."
Ryo rolled his eyes. "I really didn't care to know that," he said. He turned to face Shuu. "How do I look?" he asked. Shuu shrugged.
"Hey, don't ask me. I'm not a fashion freak."
"I should have gone to see Nasutei instead of you."
"Not my problem."
"Sheesh."


"So, tell me about this friend of yours. Funny the way I always seem to get dates from your friends." Yayoi planted herself in front of her younger brother as he was coming down the stairs of their house. She was dressed in an off-shoulder pale yellow dress, the hem flaring with white lace and her arms bare in the light.
Seiji sighed, wondering if he should either sweeten her towards Ryo or maybe let him fend for himself. Nah, better not do that; in a way, Ryo was doing him a favor. "He's okay," Seiji said, knowing the best thing he could do was perk Yayoi's interest. She raised an eyebrow at it.
"Okay? Is that all? What if he's actually some sort of drug addict who is secretly trying to get into my skirts?"
Seiji rolled his eyes, knowing full well his sister good take care of herself. She didn't get the nickname of battle-axe for nothing. "He's okay. He's a very decent sort of fellow, likes to watch out for others and I'll even grant he has good manners."
She huffed and crossed her arms. "Tell me, is he a better boar than the last friend who took me out?"
"Shuu? Oh yes, most certainly."
"Well, I don't believe you."
Seiji sighed. "Look, I know you are upset that Shuu called you battle axe, dumped the soup all over your dress, ate your desert, and even almost gave you a crew cut with his knife when he was playing around with the cutlery, but I guarantee you; Ryo is nothing like that. He's very good with women, he's good with animals, he treats both with respect, and I am quite sure you two will get along."
Well, almost sure. But close enough.
"Fine. But, little brother, if he disappoints me, your life-as we know it of course-will be put through more hell than you have ever thought possible."
Seiji watched her with half-lidded eyes as she twirled around and flounced off. It's a good thing Arago never knew she existed. He would have loved to have her join his side. He shuddered at the thought. As he walked off the steps and through the living room, he noticed the open window. From the open window he could see the cherry trees that surrounded their house. He froze in mid-step as a raven lit upon a branch and stared at him with glossy red eyes.
Shaking his head, Seiji walked into the kitchen. The raven nodded, as if bobbing its head, and then flitted away.