Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Fourteen

Seiji shook his head in what may have been disbelief, or perhaps amusement. Shin did not see the look on his friend's face as he was concentrating on maneuvering the dirt road without hitting the rougher potholes which jarred Seiji's wound. "Ryo," Seiji mumbled. "You numbskull. You never listen to what I have to say, do you?"
Shin smiled. He could sense the amusement in Seiji's voice. "We both know that listening was never one of Ryo's skills," he replied lightly. Seiji laughed at that, but stopped with a wince and a hand over his side.
"Neither was paying attention to detail," Seiji added.
"So what do you plan on doing?"
"I'm going to release the woman who haunts the cabin. When she is finally released from the area, her husband and daughter will have no reason to be around."
"Are you sure it will work?"
Seiji reached across the seat to pat Shin's arm. "I have no idea as to what else to do. Ryo is taking care of the evil responsible for what is happening, but that leaves what is happening left unattended. Ryo thinks that because he involved me in this mess that it is his fault for what happened. That is not true. Friends help friends no matter what. And even if we aren't friends with the woman, we should help her. We could have been friends in another place or time, and we could still be friends. What matters the most is that Ryo wanted to help her, and we want to help Ryo." He looked out the window at the passing scenery. "And whether or not it works doesn't matter. At least we can tell Ryo that we tried to help to the best of our abilities, and he would understand that."
Shin's face creased in worry. "I hope you're right," he said softly. "Dear Kami I hope you're right. I fear what will happen if you're not."


Morhon glared at Seiji as she stood in the middle of Ryo's cabin. She wore an apron with the words, "Kiss the cook!" scrawled in English across the front, and she looked ridiculous since the material draped on the floor before her as it was far, far too large for her tiny frame. Her arms were crossed before her, one finger tapping impatiently against her bicep. "You realize that if anything goes wrong, you will die." Her voice was soft and gentle in direct contrast with the glare.
Seiji made a helpless gesture with his hands as he faced her. "Look, you said that you don't know where Ryo is, but you sense Soul Death in your domain somewhere. If I free the ghost-"
"Aya," Morhon said. "She has a name."
"Aya-if I free Aya, then it may force Soul Death here. And if that happens, you can then do what you need to do since we place ourselves under your protection and Soul Death is likely to attack us. We could even find out what he did with Ryo." That hurt, knowing that his friend had gone after Soul Death without telling him. Seiji would have gladly gone with Ryo, even if it was just to make sure that Ryo stayed out of trouble. Something which Ryo had been unable to do; it seemed to be a talent with that young man.
"He's a big boy," Tadashi said from where he and Byakuen were nervously eyeing the slop of unrecognizable orange crud that Morhon had concocted earlier. "He is capable of making his own decision and knows what he is getting into. Besides," he looked up from the crud and stared directly at Seiji, "I will be there. I will give what help I can."
Morhon pursed her lips together and was about to bring up a protest when Seiji cut it, "I will be in full armor." He had no idea if he could transform in the spirit realm, but it was worth a try. The whole plan depended on whether or not he could, but he did not see why he shouldn't be able to. "I'm a formable fighter by those standards. You know I am."
Morhon shook her head. "I still do not like it," she said.
Shin stepped forward. "I will suit up and watch his body for outside attacks." He smiled assuredly at her. "And with you beside me, then no harm will come to his body."
"It be not his body I worry most about." Morhon unfolded her arms. "None of us-and yes, I include myself within the category-know what Soul Death is fully capable of doing, and Ryo missing has me frightened. We do not know what happened to him."
"He isn't dead," Seiji replied stiffly. "I would feel if it was so." Shin nodded his agreement.
"I feel he is alive too. But just because he is not dead does not mean he is not in trouble."
"Soul Death can tell us what happens when he shows up," Shin said.
"That is assuming he even appears. What if it is Hisoka instead who appears?"
Shin and Seiji shrugged. "He's a lackey," Seiji stated dryly, "I believe he would know what happened to Ryo as easily as Soul Death."
Morhon threw her arms up in the air in defeat. "Fine! Fine! Do as you will." She shook her head as she turned from them. "Men!" she grumbled in exasperation. She jabbed a thumb at the window where the sun was close to setting. "Best prepare yourself, Warrior of Light," she said, "for the time for your duty arrives quickly."


Shin, in his blue and white sub armor, looked around the small cabin. He was seated in a wooden chair that sat beside the table. Seiji was stretched out across Ryo's bed wearing his green and white sub armor; his eyes were closed. Morhon stood on a stool at the sink, washing dishes as she grumbled beneath her breath. Byakuen was curled up beside the bed, gazing at Shin with eyes filled with worry.
Tadashi had disappeared. Shin dropped his gaze to his feet. He studied the wooden floor. He remembered how he and Nasutei had scrubbed them clean while Seiji and Ryo pranced about the roof. He shifted his feet and rubbed his hands together.
"The waiting is always the hardest," Morhon's cultured voice cut in. She did not look up from where she was scouring a pan. "Go outside; walking the premises may help ease your restlessness." She paused in her scrubbing and reached for the near-by bottle of soap.


Twilight fell. Outside, the remaining colors of the sunset were bright layers of orange and green across the sky. In the spirit world, the only colors Seiji saw were the cold shades of gray and the bright rings of light that locked Aya into the area. He was wearing his sub armor, but the colors were muted in shades of gray as well. Tadashi, at least, was as solid as his surroundings and his muffled movements made sound just as Seiji's did.
Seiji walked all the way to the bright rings and crouched down. "These must be destroyed," he said. "They are what keeps Aya trapped here. Without them, she would leave."
Tadashi shook his head. "Aya is trapped here for a purpose of being united with her husband. He cannot cross, and she cannot leave until he does. The purpose in this plane of existence takes form of the bands of light."
"Exactly. If the bands of light are broken, she will be able to cross over to him, and when they are united, Soul Death's hold over Hisoka will dissolve."
"And what of the child?"
Seiji shook his head. "You heard Morhon. She is trapped in a child's form and mind because of the raven she is tied to. Soul Death might not be able to control her once her father and mother disappears, which she won't be able to do since she still lives."
"And how do you plan on cutting it?"
Seiji did not answer as he took a step back. He folded his arms before him. "I'm going to completely suit up," he said, "and I'm going to cast light in this area. It may or it may not burn the rings of light. If it doesn't, then I will cut through it with my no-daichi. I hope." He looked at Tadashi. "You might want to stand back," he warned as he waved him back.
Tadashi nodded and took two steps away. He peered at the rings of light as Seiji clasped his hands before him. "Tao-"
"Look out!"
Seiji, reacting to Tadashi's sudden cry, ducked. Something flew over his head with an angry squawk, the air stirring Seiji's hair. "Dammit!" He gritted his teeth and looked up.
"Do what you set out to do," Tadashi warned as he jumped before him to face the raven, as large as Byakuen and of a muted black color, wheeled around. "You need to do this before it is dark. Otherwise Hisoka will not be around. He cannot exist in the darkness of the world." Seiji sprang and sprang to the side as the raven barreled into Tadashi. As solid as the rest of the surroundings, the raven collided heavily with Tadashi.
Seiji crouched down. "Tao chi!" he cried.


Shin yelped as something heavy crashed into him from behind. He fell to the ground and rolled to his feet. He twisted his body and faced what crashed into him. A human-shaped beast with hair covering its body, yellow-stained tusks protruding from its mouth and claws unsheathed from curled fingers, faced Shin. It growled deeply and began to circle Shin, its wide blue eyes staring at him hungrily. Shin had a bad feeling that this was going to hurt. The creature lashed out suddenly and raked its claws against Shin's face before he could react against it.
The skin parted like butter under a hot knife and blood spurted forth.
He leapt backwards. "Tao Shin!" he called out even as Byakuen bound around the cabin and launched himself with a snarl at the creature as it lashed out with its claws at Shin again.
Inside the cabin. Morhon sat down on the bed beside Seiji's side. She patted his still arm. "Everything is coming to head," she said. She frowned. "Tadashi," she called, "you watch the boy like you promised to."


"Easier said than done," Tadashi grumbled as he struggled to hold the raven down. It cawed its protest and flapped its wings, lifting up in the air to strike at the fully-armored Seiji. Seiji ducked as the raven flew back, claws extended where Tadashi was clutching desperately at. Seiji, on his knees, swung his no-daichi. The sword struck against the rings of light and bounced off. A tendril of smoke drifted off it.
Tadashi twisted his body and flung his weight to the side. The raven off-balance, missed Seiji's head and crashed into the ground. Tadashi released his grip and tumbled free. He pounced upon the raven as it tried to lift itself into the air.
As Seiji struck against the rings of light, a deep throbbing thrum began to fill the air.


Shin pulled his weapon free and crouched down, looking for an opening as Byakuen wrestled with the creature. The tiger snarled and slashed his claws at the creature, tearing the furred flesh open.
Thump.
Shin stiffened at the sound.
Thump. Thump.
A scream rose from the woods.
Thump.
A young boy dropped from out of nowhere to face Shin. "You're my opponent," he said excitedly. Shin stared at the child with shock and disgust, the sound of Byakuen snarling and struggling with the creature loud in his hearing.
"I will not fight you!" he exclaimed, taking a step toward Byakuen to help the tiger.
The excitement on the child's face disappeared as the eyes narrowed and the mouth opened in a sadistic smile. "If not me, then for your life," he whispered. He flung an arm down and the ground beneath Shin exploded upward.

And so

Seiji jumped to the side as the raven screamed past him. How much time? he wondered as he saw, in the corner of his eye, Aya appear. Her face was scrunched up in terror and sadness as she stared at him.
"What are you doing?" she screamed. "It's here! Get away before you die! It will kill you!" She looked frantically around. Beyond the rings, Seiji could see Byakuen struggling with one of the ugliest beasts he had ever seen and Shin arguing with a great cloud of black. Seiji stared at it. The cloud of deep black hung over the ground and throbbed with each deep thrum. Within the deep recesses of the cloud was a tiny spark of bright colors that mixed and swirled within one another.
Seiji turned his eyes to Aya, at the bright rings of light, and then at the raven as it whirled around and hovered in the air for a moment, its wings flapping fiercely. Soul death . . . Was this how the others saw it? How Morhon saw it? How could Ryo have been deceived by that? Seiji straightened up slowly and held the sword out, the tip pointing directly at the raven. The raven screamed and plunged at Seiji.
Tadashi, as if sensing what was going to happen, released his grip and fell through the air.

it is

Shin's body convulsed as the ground beneath him buckled and shot upward. Off-balanced, he fell off the tiny mountain of dirt and rock. Blood from his facial wound and dirt mixed and mingled to settle on his eyes and temporarily blinded him. He rolled to the side as blackness exploded from the ground in the form of a stream of liquid and shot at him. Sensing something amiss though he still could not see past the bloody and dirty veil of stinging pain, he jumped backwards. The stream of blackness hit the spot where he had been and disappeared. The ground crumbled away into nothing. The child laughed wildly and gestured again.
Shin pointed his trident at the direction of the laugh.

my

Light exploded, more brighter than Seiji had ever seen it before as he activated his attack. Perhaps it was because the surroundings were drab and murky. Seiji knew he shouldn't, but he turned his eyes from the brightness and closed them as the light streamed outward. If it did not work, he would not be ready for an attack. He began to recite the prayers his grandfather had taught him. His voice, steady with the prayer, filled the light surroundings. As if reacting to the power of the prayer, the light brightened.
The raven screamed and Aya cried out as if in pain.


Shin fell to one knee, pointed his trident at the direction he felt the flow of danger, and yelled his attack. The stream of water hit the child directly in the face. The child cried out in surprise as he was pushed backwards by the attack's force. The creature Byakuen was fighting was startled from the water and Byakuen took the chance to sink his teeth directly in its neck and savagely shake his great head back and forth, flesh ripping beneath the razor-sharp incisors.

turn!

The child pushed himself free of the stream of water and jumped to his feet, his features twisted in rage. He rushed forward at Shin. Shin readied himself for another attack, rubbing his eyes and blinking rapidly to clear his vision, but Morhon appeared suddenly before him and grabbed the child around the waist as he practically flew into her arms.
The rage on the child's face turned to terror as Morhon's arms tightened and they descended into a hole of darkness that materialized beneath them. "Please! No! I beg you! Have mercy on me my queen!" His voice disappeared as the hole faded from view. Byakuen, with one last shake of his head, tore the creature's head from its shoulders.
The creature's decapitated body fell forward and deteriorated into dust. Byakuen snorted and licked his chomps.


The raven, along with the rings of light, was burned away from the sudden mighty wave of radiance. Seiji fell to his knees and stared in wonder as his surroundings began to glow golden. Hisoka appeared from nowhere. His face was full of shock as he stared across the distance at his wife. Aya looked from the spot where the circles of light had been, and then at Hisoka. She stepped across where the barrier had been and then ran to Hisoka, openly sobbing.
Hisoka's expression did not change when Aya threw herself into his grasp. His arms tightened around her, and for the first time in fifty years, he held the woman he loved more than life itself. He bowed his head and kissed the top of Aya's head. A tear fell down his face and he looked at Seiji.
"Thank you," he whispered as they began to fade away. "You have no idea how much this means to me." The couple continued to hold one another until they had completely disappeared, gone at last to where spirits that did not linger went. A raven screamed, but the sound was cut off with a sharp squeak.
A little girl began to whimper.


Seiji stumbled from the cabin. Shin sat with his back against a tree facing the cabin, his legs folded beneath himself as he held a small figure that shook with heart-wrenching sobs. Byakuen crouched down beside him, licking his bloody claws to clean them. Behind Seiji appeared Tadashi. Seiji walked over to Shin. He recognized the small figure as Itsue. Her arms were tangled around Shin's hair and her face was buried in the crook of his neck.
Shin's eyes were shadowed and fresh slash marks lay angrily across one side of his face, blood covering half of his face and neck and even now continued to slowly drip on his shirt, but the red streaks on the other side of his face told Seiji that he had been crying.
Seiji stuffed his hands into his pants pockets. He stared silently at Shin. "It's done," he said finally. "Hisoka's and Aya's missions and purposes have been fulfilled. They are gone forever."
Shin nodded but said nothing.
Seiji leaned against the tree. He sank down to the ground beside Shin. Tadashi drifted over to Byakuen's side and he dropped down beside the tiger. The only sound made amongst the group of people was Itsue's sobbing. After a while, the sobs faded into silence, broken only by hiccups.
Night settled and the shadows of twilight turned into darkness. From the deepest darkness Morhon emerged. She nervously bit her bottom lip as she peered at the people and tiger before her. "Soul Death is chained," she said finally. "It will not be released until such a time comes when I deem it purified."
"Is Soul Death truly a child?" Shin asked suddenly. Seiji glanced sharply at his friend.
Morhon shook her head. "I know it pains you to have to strike against a child, but Soul Death took the form to confuse and lure you into underestimating it. I fear that was Ryo's mistake. He did not take it seriously enough, and is paying dearly for his mistake now. Soul Death is young compared to myself and other immortal beings who saw the Word spoken."
"Where is Ryo?" Seiji wondered.
Morhon hesitated before she answered. "I cannot honestly say."
"What?" Seiji's body tensed. He took a breath to calm himself as he saw Morhon cringe at the fierceness in his voice and her face scrunched up as if she would burst into tears.
"Soul Death refuses to tell me where it did with Ryo. All it said is that Ryo is no longer within this realm of existence."
"What does he mean by that? Can't you make him tell?"
"I cannot," Morhon replied. "It was crying as I chained it and it broke my heart to. Even though it has done terrible things, it did so because it could not understand the difference between our definitions of good and evil. I could not force it to speak because I would have to do terrible, terrible things, and it would not help our cause in it learning the difference between good and evil."
She wrung her hands and plopped down on the ground. "There are four realms of existence, disallowing for the planes stacked upon one another as dimensions. This is the Realm of Reality, where science and reason is the master. Magic may exist, but only by flowing from the Realm of Fantasy, which is where all that which does not follow the rules of science exists. These are the states of sanity and reason in which the mind exists. The Realms of Chaos and Order are the emotional states. We exist within the Realm of Reality. Ryo does not. That leaves the Realms of Chaos and Fantasy as Soul Death cannot access the Realm of Order anymore than I can." Tears appeared. "Neither one is a good place to be. Ryo's powers may stem from the Realm of Fantasy, but he was born as a creature of reason within this Realm. His virtue is that of Order, and Chaos dos not take kindly to Order."
"If Soul Death does not tell, then how will you find Ryo?" Shin wondered as Itsue stirred in his arms.
"I'm sorry," she said, whimpering softly.
"It is not your fault," Shin replied as his arms tightened protectively around her small form. She sniffed as Morhon smiled assuredly at her.
"Nay, 'tis not your fault," Morhon agreed. "Hope takes place in two forms though. Should Ryo use the power of the Tears I gave him, I will sense it and go immediately to where he is at. Also, there are powerful beings who exist in both Realms. The Angel Seraph is the One's general and commander of the Heavenly Hosts. The Angel Seraph is currently abiding within the Realm of Fantasy and as a being of harmony, it will sense Ryo almost immediately. The Eternal Phoenix is also a creature of order, and both she and the Chief Magistrate-both of whom live in the Realm of Chaos-will not allow Ryo to stay in the Realm if he is there and they find him. There is no doubt any of these three will find him though one way or another, and they will send him back to the Realm of Reality immediately."
"What if he dies?" Seiji asked. "What then?"
Morhon shook her head sadly as Byakuen lifted his head to peer at her. "Ryo knew that he might not come out of this alive and he accepted it. He accepted he was going to die when he was sacrificed to the sea. We must accept that he did. And if he dies, then we will know too. But for now he is alive, and as long as he is alive, there is hope. There is one good thing about his winding up in the Realm of Chaos should he have been there, and that is he cannot die. Chaos will not allow freedom and sublimity, for those are forms of Order in a appearance of death. And if he winds up in the Realm of Fantasy, using the Tears will come easy to him without his knowing it."
"He is alive," Tadashi said, "and that is enough for now."


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