AN: A VERY confusing chapter in the beginning. You'll get filled in about
what's happening later in the chapter, but in the beginning it's very odd.
Don't worry, in the beginning Seto's just as lost as you are. If you know
where he is, you're loads smarter then Seto, or you've read a lot of these
scenes. Which ever works ;)
Hurts IX
I blink a few times, trying to rid my eyes of the fog until I realized that the blackness surrounding me wasn't fog. Black clouds had encircled me, blocking out almost all of the light that was struggling to shine through. I tried desperately to wave the large clouds away but nothing worked. I was about to call out for help, when my mind came across the horrible possibility that I blind! I fought the panic back and told the logical part of my mind that that possibility was illogical since I could see my hands, my body and even small patches of light. It's probably just a dream, I reasoned. I horrible, strange dream, but a dream none the less. Closing my eyes, I sighed and smiled as a gentle breeze tickled my neck, blowing my hair around. The wind suddenly began to pick up and I opened my eyes to see what was causing the unexpected windstorm. It was Tea or at least it was her head and shoulders. Her hair was slicked back in a tight bun and she had a small ornamental comb instead of any normal hair clip that I had ever seen. She was situated on my right blowing gusts of air at me at such high speeds I had to struggle to stand up! I was on the verge of calling out for her to stop, when I realized that she blowing away the clouds that were surrounding me. I waited until all the clouds were gone and she had stopped before I acknowledged her.
"Thank you Tea." I smiled as the warm sun beat down on me. I was a bit hot, so for the first time in many years, I removed my long trench coat to reveal a long sleeved white button-down shirt. I unbuttoned the top two buttons and waited for Tea to speak. She didn't. "Thank you for getting rid of those clouds. They were blocking almost all of the light."
"Don't thank me." Tea sighed, rolling her eyes. "I didn't do a thing, really. You brought the clouds in, you sent them away."
"What do you mean? I don't remember doing anything." I told her, tilting my head to one side. She didn't answer for a minute, and I found her gaze unnerving, so I looked around and found that I actually in a fairly small room. It held a neat, barely touched bed and a desk with a state-of-the- arts computer. I began to explore the room, running my fingers along the deep blue walls and running my feet through the soft gray carpet. The desk had five drawers each one filled and organized differently. One of them held disks, which were organized in a very neat, systematic way.
"Your memories." Tea supplied, as if sensing my confusion. "One of those top drawers is filled with your present thoughts and feelings, though lately it's just been thoughts and the other one is filled with past thoughts and feelings. Those two bottom drawers are your two sides. The locked one is filled with your good impulses. If you can find the key-I think it's somewhere on the top of the desk-you'll find it's filled with children's toys. The other on is your dark impulse. It's already unlocked. I haven't looked through that one."
"What is this place?" I asked, turning to face her.
"Your soul space or soul room. We all have them. When you sleep this is where you go. You don't sleep often do you?"
"Not really. Too many nightmares." I admitted. "Wait a second, does this mean I'm sleeping now?"
"In a sense." Tea nodded. "Most doctors would actually call this unconsciousness. Call it what you please, though. It doesn't bother me."
"So, if this is my soul, what were those clouds?" I asked.
"It's hard to explain." Tea sighed. "Whenever you do something bad, and I don't mean running a red light or muttering a rude word in front of a minor, dark clouds gather over your soul. The more of those clouds and the thicker they are, the harder it is to get rid of them."
"So when I did something really bad, like killing Gozaburo..." I began, looking down at the floor. remembering the way she had pulled away when she had first learned of my crime, I grew afraid she still hated my past and me.
"The dark clouds covered you." Tea finished, her voice not telling me what she thought of my action. "The worse the action the larger the clouds. The larger the clouds, the harder it is to get rid of. In this case, you had to sacrificed yourself for me for the clouds to leave."
"Well, I wouldn't have had to do that if I hadn't killed my adopted father." I told myself.
"You see? The cleansing will almost always reflect the crime."
"I do see." I nodded, lost in though. "Hang on just a moment! What the hell are you doing here if this is my soul?!"
"Again, this is all rather difficult to explain. This entire discussion isn't about something that can easily be described in words. They're just mental ideas, really. Words are tricky and cumbersome. Let me try and explain it though. I am your thoughts and feelings as to what a savior should look like."
"You mean if you said savior, I'd picture you?"
"You're better at this then I am." Tea shrugged. "Everyone's concept is different, as are their thoughts and feelings."
"I think I'm beginning to understand." I nodded again. "So, when am I going to wake up?"
"Soon actually." Tea told me. "If you had been paying attention, you'd know that your hearing is beginning to kick in."
"I wish I could stay here longer. It's very nice." I admitted. "I don't suppose I'll remember any of this when I wake up, will I?"
"You catch on to the rules very quickly." Tea grinned. I rolled my eyes.
"There aren't rules." I retorted. "For every rule there are twice as many exceptions, therefore counteracting the purpose of a rule."
Tea looked at me for a second before laughing out loud.
"You catch on TOO quickly." Tea smiled, her laughter dying down. "Go on, Seto. Wake up."
I was about to protest but she was moving closer to me and, in order to prevent dying an untimely death, I had to keep moving back to avoid her. Unfortunately she kept moving forward until I was up against the door.
"Tea!" I pleaded, hoping she would back off. She didn't. I reached behind me and groped for the door handle. After a few minutes of searching, my hands found the sought after item and I turned it. I felt the door open and I moved with it, falling into darkness.
(AN: A special thanks to all those who've reviewed: Blue-Kool-Aid (TY!! Never had so many from one author; makes me feel so special!!!) Black Magician Girl Yokomon52 Little Red Dragon Lynderia Tara-hime Millenia Lady Light)
Hurts IX
I blink a few times, trying to rid my eyes of the fog until I realized that the blackness surrounding me wasn't fog. Black clouds had encircled me, blocking out almost all of the light that was struggling to shine through. I tried desperately to wave the large clouds away but nothing worked. I was about to call out for help, when my mind came across the horrible possibility that I blind! I fought the panic back and told the logical part of my mind that that possibility was illogical since I could see my hands, my body and even small patches of light. It's probably just a dream, I reasoned. I horrible, strange dream, but a dream none the less. Closing my eyes, I sighed and smiled as a gentle breeze tickled my neck, blowing my hair around. The wind suddenly began to pick up and I opened my eyes to see what was causing the unexpected windstorm. It was Tea or at least it was her head and shoulders. Her hair was slicked back in a tight bun and she had a small ornamental comb instead of any normal hair clip that I had ever seen. She was situated on my right blowing gusts of air at me at such high speeds I had to struggle to stand up! I was on the verge of calling out for her to stop, when I realized that she blowing away the clouds that were surrounding me. I waited until all the clouds were gone and she had stopped before I acknowledged her.
"Thank you Tea." I smiled as the warm sun beat down on me. I was a bit hot, so for the first time in many years, I removed my long trench coat to reveal a long sleeved white button-down shirt. I unbuttoned the top two buttons and waited for Tea to speak. She didn't. "Thank you for getting rid of those clouds. They were blocking almost all of the light."
"Don't thank me." Tea sighed, rolling her eyes. "I didn't do a thing, really. You brought the clouds in, you sent them away."
"What do you mean? I don't remember doing anything." I told her, tilting my head to one side. She didn't answer for a minute, and I found her gaze unnerving, so I looked around and found that I actually in a fairly small room. It held a neat, barely touched bed and a desk with a state-of-the- arts computer. I began to explore the room, running my fingers along the deep blue walls and running my feet through the soft gray carpet. The desk had five drawers each one filled and organized differently. One of them held disks, which were organized in a very neat, systematic way.
"Your memories." Tea supplied, as if sensing my confusion. "One of those top drawers is filled with your present thoughts and feelings, though lately it's just been thoughts and the other one is filled with past thoughts and feelings. Those two bottom drawers are your two sides. The locked one is filled with your good impulses. If you can find the key-I think it's somewhere on the top of the desk-you'll find it's filled with children's toys. The other on is your dark impulse. It's already unlocked. I haven't looked through that one."
"What is this place?" I asked, turning to face her.
"Your soul space or soul room. We all have them. When you sleep this is where you go. You don't sleep often do you?"
"Not really. Too many nightmares." I admitted. "Wait a second, does this mean I'm sleeping now?"
"In a sense." Tea nodded. "Most doctors would actually call this unconsciousness. Call it what you please, though. It doesn't bother me."
"So, if this is my soul, what were those clouds?" I asked.
"It's hard to explain." Tea sighed. "Whenever you do something bad, and I don't mean running a red light or muttering a rude word in front of a minor, dark clouds gather over your soul. The more of those clouds and the thicker they are, the harder it is to get rid of them."
"So when I did something really bad, like killing Gozaburo..." I began, looking down at the floor. remembering the way she had pulled away when she had first learned of my crime, I grew afraid she still hated my past and me.
"The dark clouds covered you." Tea finished, her voice not telling me what she thought of my action. "The worse the action the larger the clouds. The larger the clouds, the harder it is to get rid of. In this case, you had to sacrificed yourself for me for the clouds to leave."
"Well, I wouldn't have had to do that if I hadn't killed my adopted father." I told myself.
"You see? The cleansing will almost always reflect the crime."
"I do see." I nodded, lost in though. "Hang on just a moment! What the hell are you doing here if this is my soul?!"
"Again, this is all rather difficult to explain. This entire discussion isn't about something that can easily be described in words. They're just mental ideas, really. Words are tricky and cumbersome. Let me try and explain it though. I am your thoughts and feelings as to what a savior should look like."
"You mean if you said savior, I'd picture you?"
"You're better at this then I am." Tea shrugged. "Everyone's concept is different, as are their thoughts and feelings."
"I think I'm beginning to understand." I nodded again. "So, when am I going to wake up?"
"Soon actually." Tea told me. "If you had been paying attention, you'd know that your hearing is beginning to kick in."
"I wish I could stay here longer. It's very nice." I admitted. "I don't suppose I'll remember any of this when I wake up, will I?"
"You catch on to the rules very quickly." Tea grinned. I rolled my eyes.
"There aren't rules." I retorted. "For every rule there are twice as many exceptions, therefore counteracting the purpose of a rule."
Tea looked at me for a second before laughing out loud.
"You catch on TOO quickly." Tea smiled, her laughter dying down. "Go on, Seto. Wake up."
I was about to protest but she was moving closer to me and, in order to prevent dying an untimely death, I had to keep moving back to avoid her. Unfortunately she kept moving forward until I was up against the door.
"Tea!" I pleaded, hoping she would back off. She didn't. I reached behind me and groped for the door handle. After a few minutes of searching, my hands found the sought after item and I turned it. I felt the door open and I moved with it, falling into darkness.
(AN: A special thanks to all those who've reviewed: Blue-Kool-Aid (TY!! Never had so many from one author; makes me feel so special!!!) Black Magician Girl Yokomon52 Little Red Dragon Lynderia Tara-hime Millenia Lady Light)