DISCLAIMER! This little ficcy of mine caused me quite a problem figuring out where to put it. Not many people have heard of Zombie Powder. KuboTaito is my manga god! Need I say more. I came across it on a manga scanlation website and I fell in love with it right away. Needless to say this beautiful short manga was not created by me. Nor is it owned by me. All the characters and concepts herein are the property of their respective owners.
And if you like it go and check it out. I may write more on this in the future.
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POWDER: The thing about it was, I never really knew him in the first place. It struck me as odd that he never even smiled. He never talked about his past either. It was like he was a ghost, or a zombie. Still he made a good partner. We walked the deserts outside of town in search of the rings of the dead. We wanted the Zombie Powder.
This is the first song I ever heard of his. He called it Powder.
Kicking at the dust at my feet,
walking to an aching beat,
feeling like I just don't care,
heavy mood is in the air.
Feeling heat at every turn,
fire aching slow to burn, feeling
like there is no end, to this world of sad pretend.
My heart beat faster every step,
painful past I can't forget,
no use givin' up and yet,
stake my life on one last bet.
Take the reins I'm free to run,
in this land of endless sun,
hope someday you'll see it too,
the truth was just too much for you.
And all that time you waste away,
thinkin' of a better day,
one that just won't ever come
in this land of endless sun.
In this land of endless sun, a dream away from ever reaching the end of eternity.
When we met up with the other two it was in the middle of the night. The moon was riding high in the midnight sky so we didn't dare go outside. We just sat there and waited like murderers. I thought the night would never end.
(Author's aside) [CT Smith. Tee hee. I love this character. I think I'll write a play with him as a character. Or someone like him. The two of them together were great]
So I took the Phoenix Semen. Went down like little bullets of lightning. Have to cultivate that inner virtue. So I went off to go and kill some people and think about it later. Later. Much later. Actually I didn't think about it at all. I'm somewhat of an enigma even to myself. It keeps people guessing you know. Kinda like scrabble. You never know the word someone's gonna put down next. Keeps you on your toes.
And after I killed a few blokes I did it again. And again, until it felt right again. After a while it doesn't seem to matter anymore. The killing that is. One after another. Again and again. Right hand left hand. Bullets flying like well you know. After a while I was even able to smile again. That takes effort.
When I met Akutabi Gamma he was sitting in a bar drinking a large glass of whiskey. It was too large if you ask me. Well that's what I would have said. Maybe we met in a bar, maybe we didn't. Gamma used to be a rock star you know. Before all this powder stuff. He played a mean guitar. Very popular with the ladies. Lots of bang for the buck that one. I actually met Gamma at a hitchhiker's convention. We got to talking and suddenly found that we were best friends. Yeah you're right. I am a terrible liar. I forget things too you know. Why I forgot that I don't know. It's been such a long time. Too long. I used to think I could outlast anyone. I don't know anymore. I don't think I can outlast Gamma, but I'd give it a shot. I can't even remember my age, it's sad. If you've been around as long as I have, you tend to forget more than you can remember.
But I'm not bitter about it. We've had some really good times. There was a girl involved, well one time. The only time I ever thought I'd give it all up. Yeah. Her name was Amaline and she was a goddess. She had the most beautiful body I'd ever seen. Large beautiful breasts, beautiful skin, eyes like moonstones. Any man would have wanted her. Of course I did. So I went after her. It didn't occur to me that it might be my last chance for a normal life. She said she loved me. She even said she wanted to run away with me. But to where? Where could I run. I told her I didn't want to drag her into it. That she shouldn't get involved with me. I had killed so many men. Murder became as easy as microwaving a TV dinner. I couldn't let her throw herself away. But still I wanted her so badly. I would have given it all up. But I couldn't.
She came to me one night. She knew I took the Phoenix Semen. I had told her the night before, and she came to me dressed in a silk red and white kimono. Her long black hair flowed like rivers over her shoulders. Her eyes were outlined in black. I had such a hard on! She told me that she knew a special technique for cultivating body energy that involved sex. I was intrigued. She began to lead me through a series of motions too erotic to be described here. What? You want me to? Hey mind your own business! Anyway, it was amazing. I felt the life surging through me. But then I saw what it did to her. She was so tired and so frail afterwards. I realized that the technique was a way of manipulating her energy to increase my own. I couldn't let her hurt herself for my sake. Even though I wanted her. Even though. But then I thought to myself, she's here. She wants to be here. I kissed her poor frail face. She could barely move. But she told me she'd be alright in the morning. I wanted to kick myself for being so selfish. But what could I do.
We stayed together for a few months. I think it was a few months. She met Gamma too. But it was a brief encounter I'd rather forget. He hated her. He knew that she almost succeeded in making me turn away from the goal we two had set for ourselves. I was his only partner. In that way he was like a selfish lover I guess. But he also knew that I would always see things his way in the end. I'm an obliging enigma, I suppose.
So in the end I just taught Gamma the technique Amaline taught me. If he was going to be my partner so be it. Partners in everything. And Gamma was more than obliging. I think he actually enjoys it. To me it is a chore. I still have to maintain this body somehow. I also have to live a life without regrets. If you're going to live forever then you can't have regrets. I don't regret meeting Gamma and I don't regret Amaline. I'm a happy enigma, I suppose. I've got things to do, and I do them. I live my life from day to day like the next guy.
But every now and then I start to wonder what would have happened if I had just kept on going. Kept going without anyone's help without phoenix semen. I know I wouldn't stand much of a chance. But I wonder if she still would love me if I came back to her, old and gray. I'm not afraid of dying. Well maybe I am. But I know that death will come eventually at least if I don't find the powder. If we don't. Akutabi's a strange companion to have with on the road. Nothing seems to faze him, and I know he will be the first one to get the powder if anyone does. The thing is, I'm not so sure I want it anymore. Keeping my body alive through artificial means, killing over and over, it was fun once. But I think it's starting to lose its charm. I see now, that what I thought was an adventure really was just a dream. But I've made up my mind to keep going. There's no turning back now. I'm not ready to stop just yet. I still have things I need to do. Powder or not, I still have a life to live.