Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Eleven

"Mama?" Ryo stopped walking just as he reached the clearing around his cabin. He carried Itsue on his back as he trudged through the forest. He had been watching his feet so they wouldn't get tangled up in any of the roots or bushes and accidentally trip. He glanced upward and saw the white figure by the cottage when Itsue spoke.
He set Itsue down on the ground and then grabbed her hand in his. He started walking towards the cabin but stopped when he felt his hand drag with some weight. He turned around and saw Itsue digging her heels into the ground as her little body shook with fear.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
Itsue's mouth worked opened and closed twice before she could say anything. "I can't step over there," she whispered. Her grip on his hand tightened.
"Why not?"
Itsue sobbed and took a step away. Tears began to fall down her face again. "I can't. No one with a raven curse may, for we'd be crushed."
"Who says?" Ryo gently demanded as he knelt down to look directly into her eyes without her having to crane her neck to look at him. Itsue whimpered and hugged herself against his body. Ryo sighed and rested his chin on top of her hair.
"Those that carry the dead may not enter the realm of those who are dead and are not carried. Mommy is dead and this is her realm as a ghost. I can't enter it! Her purpose blocks me from coming to her."
"Who says that?" Ryo asked again as he rubbed Itsue's back in comfort. "Who says that? How do you know he or she weren't lying?"
She pulled herself free of his grip, her hair flying as she shook her head violently. "I can't! I can't enter!" Ryo stood up.
"And why?"
"Because it's the realm of the dead! I can't enter it until Mommy leaves it permanently!"
"But she can't."
"And I can't cross the threshold! The force of Mommy's purpose will crush that which carries me and I will die."
Ryo stared down at her. He crossed his arms before his chest in quiet contemplation as Itsue sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. He glanced over his shoulder to see Itsue's ghostly mother by the side of the cabin, shaking her head and mouthing unheard words. Transparent tears streamed down her face. Ryo rubbed the temples in his forehead and wished Seiji was there so he could badger him for advice.
"Look," he began as patiently as he could, "if you can't cross the threshold, then what can we do?"
"I don't know," Itsue whimpered in reply, her large eyes centered upon her mother.


Ryo spent the rest of the day setting up a tent for Itsue to stay in at the border of the forest and cabin's clearing. Byakuen refused to come out of the cabin to meet Itsue, and if that wasn't bad enough, the stubborn tiger kept pushing Ryo and tried to keep him in the cabin every time Ryo exited it. As soon as Ryo had set the tent up, he brought blankets out of the cabin for the child to use. There would have been a pillow for her to use as well but for the fact that Byakuen had sink his teeth into the material and when Ryo tried to yank it away, the pillow tore and feathers flew everywhere.
"Look," he said to his tiger as Byakuen growled and set himself in front of the door when Ryo came back and grabbed a book of matches to start a fire outside, "I'm sick and tired of your being stubborn like this. I know that you are nervous about everything around here, but what am I supposed to do? Itsue is a lonely child who can't come to her mother and her father just left her behind, and maybe her soul is possessed by a raven, but what else can I do?" The two creatures stared at one another. Man's will battled briefly with cat's will.
Byakuen, whining under his breath, laid down and flattened his ears. He glared up at Ryo, his eyes saying, Well, if you learned how to control that damn generosity of yours, then we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. Ryo huffed in reply and glared down at him.
"What is the matter? What is going on? Is something wrong with Itsue?" he asked as he pointed out the window to where the child was slowly gathering twigs and small sticks together into a pile for a fire. Byakuen growled at the mention of the name. Ryo sighed and sat down beside his tiger. "What can I do?" he asked again sadly as he rested his hand upon Byakuen's head. "Seiji is in the hospital, Shuu is of no help, I don't know where to get hold of Touma, and who knows what happened to Shin? You're currently the only friend I have at the moment, but we're having a bit of trouble with communications."
Byakuen huffed and turned his head away from Ryo in a silent sulk. Ryo stood up and tried to step over Byakuen. Byakuen growled and stood up, his body between Ryo's legs.
"Hey! Lemme down!" Byakuen ignored Ryo's protests as he turned around and dumped Ryo on the floor. He promptly sat upon him.
"Argh! You stupid cat! Let up off me!" Byakuen licked his chomps and gagged Ryo with the tip of his tail.


The wind blew across the top of the sea and picked up the scent of musty salt and carrying it across the land. The sea was a choppy and rough gray. The waves angrily leapt from its surface and crashed against one another or the shore. A foot stepped onto the beach, the brown grains crunching beneath it.
Hisoka stared across the surface and remembered how this was the very spot where he and his troop had departed late at night on the submarine, off to attack those war ships surrounding the island. He closed his eyes with the remembered pain of the departure. But he was not here to remember past pain, but to beg for an extension to a debt. That Ryo had taken his daughter had not been part of the plan. He strode down to the shore, the wind whipping at his black hair and cape.
"Mistress of the sea!" he called; his voice bounced through the howling wind as it blew the scent of an angry sea into his face. "Mistress of the sea!" The water at his feet swept back and into a whirlpool, the center of the pool as smooth as glass. Rising out of it as a pillar of water that took shape in a female form, was the same creature that had warned Shin away.
"What is it that you seek from me now?"
"Time," Hisoka called back.
"I have extended it once, you over reach it. Why should I extend it once more?"
"Because we are still trying to bring you what you want. Unless we have more time in which you quiet down and patiently wait, then we will be unable to bring you the payment."
". . . Very well, you have until midnight tomorrow."
"M'Lady! That isn't enough time!" How could he get Ryo in so little of a time?
"Silence! It will be what I give you. Bring me the payment by midnight tomorrow or I shall unleash my fury." She descended into the depths of the ocean then, the water ruffling about a few more minutes before the wind finally died down and the ocean began to clear. Hisoka's shoulders drooped forward slightly as he took a tired breath. He turned away from the ocean shore and began to tread back into the forest. A raven cried deep within the dark depths of the forest. He paused and tilted his head to listen to it.
"I know," he whispered. "I know. I come though I tried my best."


Ryo stumbled outside, his legs numb from having Byakuen's weight pressed on top of them for so long. He pulled a sweatshirt on for warmth. As he headed towards Itsue, he could see her mother sitting beneath a tree, crying and wringing her hands in misery and sorrow. How must it have felt to see your own flesh and blood, dear and sweeter than life, just beyond your ability to speak to and to hold tenderly? Ryo handed the blankets he carried to Itsue and then pulled the Dragon Tear out of his pocket.
"What's the matter?" he asked the ghost. Her eyes grew wide and she jumped to her feet from where she had been sitting.
Look ou-
Her cry was cut short when something heavy collided with the back of Ryo's head and he passed out.


"Three X's in a row. I win." Seiji stared down at the game of tic-tac-tos that Morhon cheerfully taught him to pass the time. They were drawn, somehow, into the gray fog beneath them. He sighed, bored already with the game and with losing all the time.
"How long do I have to stay here?" he asked as Morhon erased the marks and began to start a new game. She shrugged and glanced over to the darker gray of their surroundings where she had earlier told him the spirits abided.
"Until the debt has been paid and you are released from this waiting. From there, you may head in that direction," she pointed at the light gray where the mortal realm lay, "or that direction." She pointed at the darker gray. "It all depends greatly upon how the debt is paid. Your move."
Seiji's mind began to etch out his thoughts even as his fingers traced an x in the upper left corner of the grid.


The crickets chirped in the dim light even as the sun began to rise from behind the mountains and settle itself in the sky. The dew on the leaves sparkled like diamonds in the light upon unfolding green leaves. Trees entwined closely with one another, branches wrapped or reaching to the sun as if to grant it homage for the glorious light it shed. The beauty of this bright early morning was lost to Itsue as she struggled down the slanting country side where the sea lay, dragging the prone body behind herself. She stopped in the shade of one large tree and sat in upon a prominent root after propping the unconscious Ryo up against the tree's trunk. She rubbed at her red-rimmed eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said again, though she knew Ryo could not hear her. "Papa said it would easy to do this, but it's not. You were nice to me and I feel horrible." She sniffed and rubbed at her eyes again. A distant raven called in the wilderness and she jumped at the sound. Her eyes darted to the shadows. A faint thrum filled the air and slowly became louder.
She cringed down against the tree root as if it would shelter her from what was coming. The air was filled with a sense of impatience and the crickets stopped chirping. Itsue's eyes fell to the ground even as a dark shape descended down before her.
Do you have it? the light voice, neither male nor female spoke. She nodded her head and closed her eyes as a small tear fell down her face. It was gently wiped away by a cold hand, but she still did not raise her eyes. Why do you cry? Do you still feel pain? She would not answer. Give it to me. Itsue slowly extended her hand. The early sunlight fell upon the glittering black Dragon Tear she held. The cold hand took it from her own. Yes, good. I imagine that here I should say 'thank you.' Is that what people say when they are given something? Again she said nothing. She felt a wave of confusion. Well, carry on then. The Sea grows impatient. Um, do you need help? She shook her head.
The thrum slowly faded away before all that was left of the strange presence was the missing sound of the crickets. Slowly though, one by one, the insects began their morning routine of chirping. Itsue rubbed at her eyes and looked at Ryo. She reached a tiny hand out to nervously pat his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I never meant for this to happen."
She took a golden ring out of a pocket and gazed at it with longing. She kissed the groove that had once held a stone but was now empty, and then slipped it into her own pocket. "You will grow used to the loss," she said quietly. "I did."


Seiji watched as Morhon stood up as he beat her for the first time at the game. She walked twice around in a circle and then frowned.
"What happened?" he inquired curiously.
"A change of plans has occurred. Stay here, I must see someone." Her form shimmered and disappeared. Seiji stared at the spot where she had been and then looked down at the game.
No problem, he thought to himself, it's not as if I can really go anywhere at the moment.


Morhon reappeared by the side of the sea and stared down at its still waters. She flitted forward easily and dipped a bare foot into the sea. The salt water licked around her flesh almost hungrily. She bound away from the shore to a cliff that rose outward towards the sky. She quickly scampered to the top and surveyed over the edge at the dark blue waters. She shook her hair back and leapt forward, angling her body away from the rocks that lined the cliff's edge. She hit the water and knifed her body to absorb some of the impact.
White air bubbles wrapped themselves around her body before they slipped free and hurried to the surface. Morhon stared into the dark depths of the sea. Her mind threw out a mental call. Something as ancient as herself answered and she wrapped a shield of shadows around her form. She withdrew from her surroundings and shifted from the turquoise shadows into the deeper depths of the ocean where the light of day had never touched before.
Her eyes adjusted themselves to the darkness, bringing up shapes and colors only she could see. As she descended downward, she saw the dark blue sandy sea floor. She tucked her feet together and landed softly. Clouds of sooty mud filled the water. The figure of a woman rose from the sea depths, dark green sea grass wrapped around her waist and trailed down her legs, leaving her breasts bare. Her light green hair floated in the water, moving with the slightest current and her scaly-green skin seemed to glow in the darkness.
Yes?
Morhon blinked her eyes at the sooty mud. I need a favor granted.
You may name it; I will decide.
There is a mortal about to be sacrificed to the Lady of the Sea to pay a blood-debt.
And you are interested in this mortal for what reason?
He came to me in my cave, searching for help. I granted it when he explained his reasons..
One of these days, your motherly instincts will get the better of you.
Perhaps. But I need your help. You are stronger than the Lady of the Sea, and I need the human to be alive.
Would this human be the child of benevolence and Fire's Soldier?
Indeed.
Do not worry. Someone has already approached me.
Oh? Who? The Immortal Queen of the Water Dragons turned her face from Morhon and abruptly switched the topic.
We cannot allow ourselves to become involved with humans. You know that. We told you that when you adopted that other little boy.
Tadashi? But he's a good boy.
I know you miss your own children, but you cannot seek them in humans. They grow old in a time that is as short as a breath for us. You hurt yourself and become depressed each time a human dies, but it is your own fault. Do not trouble yourself over the human. I have called a child of the sea to help his brother, the child of the fire.
I shall not abandon the child of benevolence. I may be immortal and he may only be human; his lifetime may last no more than a heart beat to myself, but every life counts and matters. I will always have the memories they leave me. And you cannot forbid me to stop.
I do not plan on it. But we mess with a child of your element, though as ancient as we are. If we allow ourselves to become involved with the situation, the Word will step in and chastise us for our stepping out of bounds. Our existence cannot be upset for such a thing.
I will not upset your existence. I will place my own risk upon what I do. You may stay out of it.
That was not quite what you were thinking when you called for my help.
Morhon did not answer as she darted away and danced from shadow to shadow to the surface of the sea.


Ryo awoke when something smacked his head hard. Or did his head smack something hard? As he opened bleary eyes to peer around, he couldn't tell which had been what. He moved his hand to cradle the sore spots that were scattered around his head but found he was unable to move his hands.
They were tied in front of him.
He sighed and sulked as he looked around with quickly-clearing eyes. Spots of green rose high in the air, tinged with layers of brown. He fluttered his eyelids a few times to clear the spots up.
He was moving.
Okay.
But he was also being dragged across the ground.
. . . Sigh, sigh, and sigh again.
He could tell immediately that it was going to be one of those days where he wished he had stayed in bed. He rolled his eyes and glanced around. Hisoka had both his feet in one hand and was dragging him across the rough forest floor. The continuous lapping water sound and the salt in the air told Ryo he was nearing the ocean. He stiffened as the thought of Hisoka attempting to drown him briefly occurred. Ryo saw Itsue walking beside her father, her little strides matching two with his one. Her hand was engulfed by his free hand. No one had noticed he was awaking. Ryo forced himself to relax and wait for the right time to spring out of their grasp and run away. His hand slipped into a pocket to feel for his yaroi.
It was missing. Ryo muttered some profanities that came immediately to mind beneath his breath, low enough that the two raven-cursed people did not hear him. His head fell back against the ground and he closed his eyes. He felt his body scrape across the rough ground, rocks digging painfully into his back and thin grasses slapping against his face from movement and wind. After a painful eternity, they moved from the forest area onto the beach.
Ryo stifled another curse as he felt the sand get beneath his bunched-up shirt and chafe against his already-irritated skin. At the edge of the ocean, they stopped. Hisoka released the grip he had on Ryo's feet. They limply fell to the ground and hit the lapping water with a small splash. Ryo wiggled his unseen toes in his shoes with the small hopes of getting feeling back into them.
His eyelids fluttered open enough to take in shapes and colors and movements, but closed enough so no one who wasn't directly looking at him would notice. Hisoka stepped into the water up to his ankles, the cape weighed down with the salty moisture. He flung his arms upward into the air. The ends of the cape whipped back with the wild move and flung droplets of water that shone in the sunlight like little diamonds.
Itsue huddled near Ryo, her little hands curled into tight fists beside her mouth. Her eyes were filled with sorrow as she watched her father. Hisoka held the pose in silence for a few moments before his mouth opened.
"Mistress of the Sea! We have arrived with the payment!" The sea, choppy and gray, began to whirl around in a maelstrom. The very center of it remained smooth and calm even as the very edges of the maelstrom began to rise upward. From out of the center shot a tall tower of water that morphed and shaped itself into something vaguely like a woman. Ryo's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he saw it before he mentally kicked himself and screwed his eyes shut.
The head on top of the watery figure seemed to make a 360 degree turn as it observed all angles of Ryo. "He's a child of fire." Her voice was as thunderous and yet as silky as the ocean. Hisoka shot a quick look over his shoulder at Ryo. The Mistress of the Sea spoke and he turned his attention back to her. "You failed to mention that the life you would trade for the other's was that whose nature is in utter terror of mine."
"I felt it may be appropriate," Hisoka replied softly. "As his nature is that of fire and fire has long been an enemy of water, thus may well be irony for him to die as such." A wry smile twisted his lips. The Mistress of the Sea regarded Hisoka for a moment. A small crest of water broke at the sandy beach and a vial filled with a smoky green liquid rolled over to his feet.
"Go," she said. "Rescue the one who would otherwise have died by a child's hand."
"And so it must be." Hisoka picked the vial up and gently handed it to Itsue. She clutched it desperately to her collarbone and ran away from them, down the length of the beach into the forest. A raven flew from the shadows and hovered over her as they disappeared in the distance. "I would rather the blood stain my hands then those of my child's." Hisoka gazed after Itsue as if he would never see her again.
Ryo felt himself relax as his mind sorted through what had just took place. Seiji would be all right. But it would be at the cost of his life. Well, prices must be paid. If one life must be given up to save another, then let it be his own rather than Seiji's. Seiji didn't deserve that; it was Ryo's fault for getting mixed up with the situation anyway. Seiji had plans and ideas for what he wanted his life to be like; he deserved to have the chance to fulfill them.
As the gray tower of water reached down, Ryo opened his eyes to fully look upon the face of the Mistress of the Sea. Her face was a single sheet of water with pearl-like eyes gazing out to the world. His nature balked at the idea of being touched by her, but he surrendered himself to his fate. He held his arms out to her as the water pulled him off the ground. He was carried, as gently as a child, as the Mistress of the Sea swept outward to the deeper parts of the ocean, and then she plunged downward with Ryo. She lost her shape and become one with the waters. A strong current, pulling first one way and then another, quickly tugged him into the deeper recesses of the blurry wet world.
Ryo felt the cold of the water invade his being; the natural fire that kept him warm at all times disappeared beneath it. A tight band of pressure wrapped around his chest. He clawed at his throat in momentary panic. Was this what it was like to drown? The air burst from his lungs in a cloud of bubbles and his lungs constricted to draw in the air they were so used to having. He choked as the liquid invaded his body. A dead weight settled in his chest; an aching, burning dead weight that twisted his insides and created a stinging pain at the very top of his skull. It suddenly occurred to Ryo that his body may never be found and his friends would wonder, until their deaths, what had happened to him.
Ryo stopped struggling. He forced his body, twitching and convulsing from suffocation, to relax. Energy fled from him as he sunk downward. A feeling, bone-weary and exhausting, overcame him. His vision, already blurry from the water, turned black around the edges.
Something bright and blue began to rise upward from the dark depths towards him. Ryo sleepily held his arms out to the figure. Auburn hair floated around and framed green eyes. Was that Shin? Funny how Death took on the appearance of a friend. The ancients believed that Death was a friend; a trustworthy figure who never failed in his job. What irony it was that Death, a familiar figure to Ryo from years ago when he and the other Troopers battled Arago, should take the form of a dear friend.
Death, in the appearance of Shin, opened his own arms to Ryo, his white and blue sub armor reflecting the colors of their surroundings. He wrapped his arms around Ryo, and they descended together into the water, away from the surface.


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