Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Nine

Slurp slurp slurp slurp slurp slurp . . .
"Bleah." Ryo pushed Byakuen away from his face without sitting up or opening his eyes. His body was still stiff and sore from the fall of the cliff yesterday and it protested at the movement. "Go 'way an' lemme sleep." Tiger breath was never its freshest during the morning. He rolled over and felt around for his blanket. He felt cold ground beneath his hands. He lifted his head and looked over his shoulder to see if he had rolled out of his bed again and was sleeping on the floor cuddled up against his tiger. He was snuggled up tightly against a soft ebony-scaled tail. There was a dim light filling the cavern from a few lightly lit oil lamps.
"Hello," a soft cultured voice greeted him. "And how be you this bright morn?"
Ryo stiffly moved his head to peer at the chirpy black dragon. "Sore yer majesty," he slurred as he leaned back against the tail and snuggled closer to it. "Fell off the damn cliff yesterday." The very end of the tail began to gently rub his back. He hmmmed in satisfaction and leaned back against it.
"Please, formality is far out of place in this dank and musty old cave. My name is Morhon."
"Moron?"
The dragon growled under her breath. Ryo had the sudden feeling that she was very self-conscience about how her name was pronounced. "Morhon. There is a distinct H there that must be pronounced."
"Eh, sorry."
"You're forgiven."
Ryo sat upright suddenly, and then collapsed backward in pain. "What the heck are you doing here?" he demanded loudly as Byakuen sought to wash his face again. "Neh! Stop!"
Byakuen growled and glanced upward at the great queen of the black dragons. "He says he came through the skylight," Morhon said.
"Skylight?"
"Yes, the backdoor of this cave, sort to speak. It would have been much easier for you to enter through that instead of climbing the face of the cliff."
"Is that so?" Ryo glared at Byakuen. "I'll have to remember that in the future."
"If you so wish to return. I would not mind the company. It has only been myself and Tadashi for the past century."
"Tadashi?"
"An orphan I took in. Many years ago, he too took it upon himself to climb the same cliff you did and found me." Morhon drew her claws along the floor. "Many years ago," she added almost thoughtfully. "Some years before the Meiji War, I believe it was called. I know for he later died in it."
Ryo's eyes snapped open. "That was more than a hundred years ago!"
"Yes, I did say that, did I not? But time has no meaning for an immortal beast such as myself. Or a ghost such as he."
"Ghost?"
Another voice spoke then, a light tenor male voice. "Yes." A shimmering light appeared in the dim darkness and a transparent old-fashioned dressed young man stood there. He wore a red bandanna that fell over his shoulders but could not keep the long dark locks of hair from hiding his right eye. His solemn green eyes reminded Ryo of Seiji. He smiled down at Ryo, and then glanced at Morhon. "Took in another child, milady?" he asked. He glanced back at Ryo. "Careful. She has a maternal streak the size of Asia."
Morhon sniffed with wounded dignity. "It has never given you cause for complaint," she replied.
"No, of course not." Tadashi bowed his head in apology even as he continued to smile. "Morhon took me in and was always there for me throughout my life. When she is your friend, she is so for all of eternity."
Ryo glanced between the dragon and the ghost. His week had gone downhill from the moment he asked Seiji for help with communicating with the other ghost. At the rate his life was going, being wrapped protectively by a dragon's tail while the owner of it bantered good-natured with a ghost she adopted hardly seemed strange.
However, the question needed to be asked, because Ryo always wanted to know where he stood with his friends. "And if you are an enemy?"
Morhon growled. "You wouldn't be alive to worry," she replied.
Ryo tried to pull himself free of her grip. The tail slipped free from his body. Ryo stumbled to his feet. "Ugh! I don't want to move!"
"If it weren't for your armor, you'd be more than just hurting," Tadashi replied.
"Armor?" Morhon twisted her head over to Ryo and took another deep sniff, blowing his hair and clothes almost off his body. "That would explain the scent of metal upon your person."
"Not just any armor," Tadashi added quickly, "but the rekka armor."
"Ah!"
Ryo glanced up at them. "What is that supposed to mean?" he demanded. Morhon ignored him and twisted her head to look at Byakuen.
"No greetings for an old friend?" she asked him. Byakuen growled and then shook his head. He glanced over at Ryo, and then at Morhon. "Yes, I realize he must go." Morhon half-sat upward. "Tadashi?"
"Yes milady?"
"Please lead Ryo back to his cabin. He is due there soon." She bent low and licked Ryo's body with her long forked tongue. The saliva soaked through his clothes and seeped against his skin, easing aches, pains, and screaming muscles. "Heed to my words and take a care for the Tear I have entrusted upon you."
"I will," he replied solemnly. The dragon queen dipped her head and gave Ryo a sloppy kiss on top of his hair before curling up into a tight ball. Ryo looked at her for several seconds, and then followed after the quickly disappearing Tadashi. The ghost drifted across the floor, his feet a few inches above the floor. Ryo could hear Byakuen's soft padding behind him. Tadashi drifted up to a small tunnel that was easily blended into its surroundings.
"This will take you to the surface of the mountain," he began as he folded his body into a sitting position, "Good luck in succeeding in what you seek to finish, for you had to have had a special reason for visiting the Queen." He bowed his head and then flickered away. Ryo stared at the empty space before him. He heard the soft breathing of the dragon. Byakuen nudged his head against his hand. It came up and swept over the tiger's ears. Ryo cast the dragon one last glance, and then stumbled his way up the small tunnel.


"Don't make me! Please don't make me! I don't want to hurt him!"
"If you want your mother back, you shall and you will!"
"But I can't! What will Mother say?"
"Your mother won't be able to say anything because she won't come back! Kill them!"
"No!"
"Yes."
"No! No no no!"
Slap.
"Waaaahhh!"

Seiji shot upward in bed. He clenched at his sheets and sweat ran off his body in trickles, though he was freezing cold. He wiped a shaking hand across his forehead and forced his breath from being hitched and rapid to smooth and deep. Voices. He had only heard a deep male voice and a low female voice. Under the voices there ran heavy currents of anger and fear. In the background, ravens screamed as a deep sound cross between a throb and a thrum filled the dark void, watchful and knowing.
Beware those who are raven-shadowed. They bear the curse of a thousand deaths. "Kill them!"
Seiji heard the words echo through his mind over and over. "Them?" he asked hoarsely as he tugged thoughtfully at his tangle hair. "Who are them? Is it myself and Ryo?" He threw the blankets away and stumbled over to his bedroom window where he could see the sun rising. Seiji rubbed his forehead once more, and then jumped as something pounded on his door.
"SEIJI!" Uh oh. He just had to wake up Yayoi. The knocking stopped after a moment. "Are you okay?" his sister's concerned voice asked.
"I'm fine. Just a nightmare."
"Ooooh! Poor baby-Seiji-chan had a nightmare?" Her concern certainly hadn't lasted too long.
Seiji gritted his teeth and mentally pleaded for his sister to go back to bed. She was not the person he needed to talk to at the moment. Feeling her mockery only made him uncomfortable and resentful.
"Does he wanna a dwink of warm milk?"
Shut up go away shut up go away shut up go away shut up go away . . .
"Well, if you are going to be ungrateful about my help, then so be it!" Seiji heard his sister's angry footsteps march away. He sighed in relief, and then crawled back into bed. He gathered the blankets together around his body and shivered as the warmth began to creep back into his limbs.


"Seiji?" Seiji looked up from where he was drinking a soothing cup of green tea while he read the newspaper. His grandfather entered the kitchen. "I've got a new student signed up today. Would you mind running her through the basic since you don't have college classes?"
"Of course." Seiji nodded before he gulped down the rest of the tea and then folded the newspaper. It was an unusual request; his grandfather had stopped speaking to him about teaching since he decided to go to college for a degree in psychology instead of inheriting the dojo.


"This is Houkima Fuu," Seiji's grandfather said as Seiji followed him to where a relatively young woman with dark hair stood in the corner of the dojo. She looked over her shoulder at them, and then turned her body to bow. A large bandage graced a cheek, which pulled slightly at the movement of the facial muscles.
"Houkima-san, my grandson, Seiji, shall lead you through the basics."
"Hai." They bowed and then he departed, leaving Seiji behind with the woman. She gave Seiji a nervous smile as she fingered the edge of her gi.
Seiji gave her what he hoped to be a comforting smile. "Before we begin, we start with fundamental exercises to loosen the muscles and relax the body. One of the things we do is practice falls. This is so we do not hurt ourselves when we hit the ground." She nodded her head in understanding and alarm bells went off in Seiji's head.


Ryo looked at Byakuen as they entered the cabin. It was freezing cold and inside of it, pacing lightly across the floor, was the ghost. She looked up just as Ryo and Byakuen entered, and began to hop up and down, her mouth moving rapidly. Byakuen growled and backed away from her. Ryo stared at her blankly as she stopped talking. Ghostly tears began to run down her face as she hurried over to Ryo and began to make wild gestures. Unable to do more than just stare at her as the ghost attempted to communicate with him, Ryo simply watched her face. He reached up suddenly to touch her face and watched as his hand went through her.
His heart ached, seeing her distressed like this. He wanted to help her. He withdrew his hand as an icy cold began to fill his limbs. She stopped and watched it. Ryo reached for her face. A tear fell from her eyes and landed on his finger. He stared with shock at the liquid drop as it slid down his hand. It left a shining trail behind. He glanced over at Byakuen who regarded him silently, and then he looked back at the ghost. Her hands were clenched and close to her face. Unconsciously, his hand reached into his pants pocket and gripped the Tear. The ghost stared at him with pleading eyes, and then her lips moved again.
Please, help me.
Ryo jumped. "What?" he demanded. He winced as he heard the harsh tone in it. He took a step forward. "What did you say?"
Please, help me.
"What do you need help with?"
The ghost brightened up and the tears stopped. Can you hear me? She regarded Ryo for a moment, and then smiled brilliantly. Yes, yes you can. You have a Tear and it has the power of communication. Ryo did not ask her what she meant as her face fell again and tears welled up within her eyes. My husband and my daughter, beware of them! They mean to kill you for you are in the way! They say you want to keep them from bringing me back but . . . She stopped and allowed two tears to fall, one from each eye. But I will not have blood on my baby's hands! I don't want her to forever haunted by your ghost!
Ryo stared at her blankly before he nodded his head. "Sure," he began. "Do you know where they are?"
They went after your other friend! You must hurry! They mean to kill him today!
"Friend? You mean Seiji?"
Yes! Yes! You must go! I cannot leave here, but you can!
"Right!" Ryo skidded around to run out of the house and over to his jeep, but he tripped over Byakuen and slammed into the wall. "Ouch! Byakuen!" He glared at the tiger as he jumped to his feet. "Stay here. Don't go anywhere. Good boy." He patted Byakuen on the head before he hurried out to the jeep.


"No, if you keep bending your wrist that way, then you'll sprain it when you try to jerk your hands free." Seiji stood behind Fuu, one arm circled around her shoulders to where her extended arms were. One hand grasped her wrist as the other reshaped her fingers.
Fuu gave him a nervous smile as she fingered the edge of her gi again with her free hand. The dojo was empty for the class was over. Fuu had stayed behind to ask for a few quick tips about facing muggers and what should she do should a pervert grab her, since she was going to America in a few months and had heard many tales from her cousins about the over-familiar men there.
"Your wrist needs to be slightly bent," he continued. "But not rigidly like that. It would snap too easily." He worked the limp hand back and forth. "And don't keep it straight because it's far too easy to keep you in-erk!"
Fuu smiled nervously as she pulled the knife away from where she had slipped the point of it deep into Seiji's side. She quickly pulled away from him as he made a wild swipe at her, his movement eerily slowly and painful. His hands caught the bandage on her face and pulled it away to reveal a starburst-like scar. "I'm sorry," she said as she continued to smile even as tears shone in her eyes. "You really should have been hit by the car. A sob escaped from her small frame and she dashed from the dojo. Seiji coughed, the movement sending shocks of pain arching through his body. His eyes opened wide as he heard a raven scream and swoop down over the girl, the shadow darkening her countenance.
Beware those who are raven-shadowed. They bear the curse of a thousand deaths.
Seiji clutched at his side as the pain began to blossom and multiply. Centered at the wound, it spread itself continuously through his upper body, throbbing higher and higher with each heartbeat. Blood poured through his fingers and black dots began to dance in his vision. He straightened up against the pain and walked with as much dignity as he could retain into the house. Blood ran steadily onto his mother's freshly scrubbed floors. "Yayoi?" he called weakly, as he leaned against the fuzzy-looking wall for support.
"Oh? What do you want no-" Yayoi's irritation disappeared the moment she walked in from the kitchen into the hall Seiji stood in and she saw the sight of her brother leaning against the wall with support as blood stained the side of his gi. "Seiji? What happened?" She hurried forward and jerked his gi open to see the jagged knife wound.
"Stabbed," Seiji covered his mouth and coughed into his hand. He stared at the blood.
"I can see that! Sit down!" Yayoi grabbed his arm and pulled him to a futon in the near-by living room. She tugged her shirt off and pressed it against his wound. Any other time, Seiji would have blushed to see his elder sister standing before him in her bra, but his head was too filled with fuzz for him to react. "Grandfather?" she yelled over her shoulder.
"Beware the raven-shadowed," Seiji whispered as a black cloud overwhelmed his senses and it was the last thing he knew.


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