Slam Dunk does not belong to me. Sniff.
Almost there! Two more chapters or so and I'm finally done! OK, I'm really sorry about the loooooong break, but I had the usual nasty, wait, make that very nasty, exams to deal with. And those times I wanted to update, I found that I could not access to ff.net. Sigh. There was a request about adding romance and SenRu in this fic. Sorry. Much as I like SenRu (it's my fave pairing too! ^_^) I think I'm too deep into the story to add any romance. It's nearly the end. Gomen nasai….and to those people who reviewed me…arigato gozaimasu! ^_^
Chapter 11: Dead Ends…and a Brainwave.
The familiar exhaustion he had experienced so many times these days seeped into Mitsui's mind as he slumped wearily on the plush sofa. The rest of them were also sprawled all over the luxurious living room of Sendoh's house. In the midst of their fatigue, they could also feel the shadow of hopelessness hovering over them. The night was quiet, nobody seemed to bother to strike up conversation and lighten the tense mood of the room. Fujima glanced at the clock. Seven o'clock. Time for dinner. Yet, there was this uneasiness and dejectedness stirring in the pit of his stomach, completely draining his appetite. Neither of them were willing to go out in the dark to get food. The reason was clear. Fear.
"Was that the last one?" Ayako asked at last. Yoshiko looked at her and nodded dispiritedly. After searching continuously, where each day had been so torturous having been weighed down with grief and fear, their efforts were still fruitless. No grave, no open doorway, no light from crystals, the only thing that remained behind with them was the terror that hunted them.
"Maybe those crystals of yours weren't functioning," said Maki.
"They're supposed to!" cried Yoshiko, near tears. The events of the past few days had finally begun to take a toll on her. Now, even she did not know what to do. She could see all of them breaking one by one, terror corroding into their weakened selves.
"We have searched all the cemeteries in Kanagawa but we haven't found anything," Kogure pointed out the obvious.
"Maybe we missed something out," Sendoh said.
"Yeah, sure," said Kiyota sarcastically. "Weird, but I'm pretty sure that I saw all my great-grandparents' graves at least three times over the past few days."
"Really? Maybe it's just because you got lost or something," said Sendoh with equal sarcasm.
Kiyota opened his mouth to make another remark, but another voice cut him off. "Shut up, you guys!" came the angry voice of Kogure. Everyone turned around to stare at him in surprise. Kogure? Get angry? "Do all of us here have to listen to your continuous arguing day after day? Do I have to be the one who's always peacemaker? Why can't I just have some peace even if for a few minutes?"
Both Kiyota and Sendoh kept their mouths shut, but more out of shock than of fear for Kogure's words. And despite the silence, Kogure did not get the peace he wanted.
Then Maki spoke up. "Maybe, the grave of this soul," he said slowly and thoughtfully, "was buried in a graveyard once. But it must have been a long time ago, right Yoshiko?"
Yoshiko nodded. "Then maybe, in those years, the graveyard could have been destroyed for development!" Maki continued excitedly. Everyone shifted their attention from Kogure to Maki. And slowly, the simplicity yet realness of his statement seemed to sink into their heads. Why had the idea not dawned in their minds before?
"It makes sense," said Fujima thoughtfully.
"Does that mean we can't ever send that thing back?' demanded Mitsui to Yoshiko. There was an abrupt silence at this. Nobody had thought of that. They each could feel all the terror wash over them again. Having to live with this shadow for the rest of their lives? Spending their whole lives running from it?
Before Yoshiko could answer, Rukawa cut in. It was the first time he had spoken all day, so they all turned to him in surprise. "I know a place," he mumbled, his voice so low that they all had to bend forward to catch his words. "It used to be a cemetery once, but now the government has decided to build a new building in that spot. The place is a mess, full of broken bits of gravestones and trash."
"Lets go there," said Yoshiko at once. Suddenly, her worn out face that had been etched with lines of fatigue seemed to glow with a new hope.
"What? Now?" demanded Sendoh staring at her as if she was out of her mind. "It's already dark."
"Yeah, that thing could be out there," put in Maki.
"Can't we wait until tomorrow?" Fujima's voice this time.
"If we wait, more people will get killed tonight!" protested Yoshiko. "And anyway, Rukawa, when are those builders going to clear out the place and start building?"
Rukawa stared at her for a moment, and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. "That building project has been postponed for quite some time but it is ready to be carried out. I think they might start any time this week."
Everyone stared incredulously at him. "Great, now we have a time limit," said Kiyota gloomily.
"No choice, then, but to go now," said Sendoh. Everyone turned the place upside down in search of torches and a supply of batteries. Yoshiko took up the pouch of crystals and stuffed it into her pocket. Nobody wanted to leave the house, though their safety wasn't guaranteed by staying in there, it was better than the alternative; wandering blindly in the dark.
"All right, Rukawa, since you know the way, you lead," said Kogure cautiously. They stuck together, like a bunch of frightened kids. The light from the streetlamps cast pools of yellow light on the dark pavements. The grim shapes of buildings loomed up eerily. Their huddled, elongated shadows crept across the ground fearfully. Every moment, they would count the shadows to make sure that there wasn't an extra one. The streets were not surprisingly deserted.
Finally, Rukawa stopped at a place they had never been to before. Rusted fence encircled the area, and the entrance, a gate almost torn off its hinges swung open, squeaking noisily every time chilling gusts of wind swept through it. They glanced about nervously before entering. Neither of them had anything to say. The place was indeed a mess, as Rukawa had mentioned. Scattered on the grass, discarded food packets and bits of paper scuttled in the night wind. Broken stones littered the whole place. If not for the few upright graves standing, they would have mistaken the place for some abandoned dump.
Yoshiko pulled the pouch of crystals from her pocket. Opening the pouch, she glanced down at them and gasped. The others turned to look at what she saw. Faint light that was getting gradually brighter pulsed and rippled across the tiny gleaming fragments. "This is the right place," Yoshiko confirmed.
Then, they proceeded to wander around, trying to find the spot where the crystals' light was brightest. The place was not very big to their relief. Soon, they came to a lone gravestone, still upright, surrounded by broken bits from other stones. As they approached, the crystals in Yoshiko's hand suddenly erupted with a brilliant almost blinding white light. Every single fragment seemed alive with the dancing light, and with a mysterious forbidden beauty. There was no doubt, that they, at last, had found the open door to the spirit world.
They knelt down gingerly by the grave. "Shine your torch here and lets see whose cursed name is engraved over here," said Mitsui to Ayako who had the torch.
Meanwhile, Rukawa was suddenly feeling sick. He knew that he should be happy and relieved that they had found what they had been so intensively searching for, and yet, there was only a horrible feeling of dread crawling in his stomach. As they had approached the grave, this feeling of dread had begun to grow until his knees nearly gave way. He suddenly remembered the look of surprise that Jin, who was under the control of that creature, had given him. Somehow, he knew that now he was about to get to the bottom of the whole mystery, and yet, he didn't feel eager to know.
Ayako shone the torch on the grave and Mitsui bent forward to read the name carved on the stone which must have had endured the elements for centuries. Rukawa cast away all pretence and collapsed onto his knees, his stomach churning. As Mitsui read the name aloud, all their faces, hooded by shadows from the light of the torches, turned to stare with utmost shock and disbelief at Rukawa's own pale face.
Tbc.