FACES
~+~
"Shinigami."
"Yes, sir?"
"To relax your mind, go explain Vengeance to her. You will see her true spirit: her true fierceness." Duat looked up at his young follower.
"Yes, sir." Shinigami left quietly.
Duat sighed. Shinigami came to him only a year ago. He was troubled, hurt, pained. Duat found him with a dagger above his wrist. Duat barely saved him, only with the promise of bringing pain to his betrayers first. He was saved, but only just. His past still haunted him; Duat knew, though Shinigami tried to hide it desperately. So desperately.
Duat watched Shinigami's retreating back. His perfect soldier . . .
-----
Hermione sat quietly in the black chamber. She turned to see another black- robed man walk through the door, dismissing the other.
"Hello, Ran."
"Hello . . ." Hermione said questioningly.
"I am Shinigami. It is Japanese for God of Death."
"I'm sure," Hermione said sarcastically. She felt his eyebrows raise from beneath his hood, amused. It disturbed her that she could notice this. Brushing the feeling away, she continued. "Where is Duat?"
"He decided to let me explain our humble facility to you."
"I see . . ." Hermione felt his eyes upon her. "Go ahead, no one's stopping you."
Shinigami glared at her. "Each of us has been betrayed. We are loners. Never feeling like we are part of something; never feeling like we have any friends.
"And thus we founded Vengeance."
"Vengeance?" Hermione looked up.
Shinigami smiled. "Yes. Vengeance.
"They helped us. They helped us regain our strength; double it. They helped us embrace our emotions, our feelings. Pain, anger, hurt, desperation. They helped us realize that it wasn't us. They helped us destroy the fear we had. They helped us get back at the ones who betrayed us. They helped us move on."
His voice grew quiet. "They helped me move on."
Hermione stared at him. This was visibly painful, but it was obvious he needed to relive the past, to let it go. According to him, that's what this place was about . . . they hadn't helped him fight his demons yet.
She was about to ask him more about his past when Shinigami briskly continued, "We are only a piece of a larger organization, but we cannot explain that to you until you have joined."
"I see . . ." Hermione mused. This man . . . this man was strange. He understood her. He had his own demons however. She had to help him fight them.
"Are you ready to join us?"
-----
Shinigami looked at her through his dark black hood. She was considering the possibility, considering her life, considering the outcome.
He widened his eyes. She was considering him.
For the first time, he saw her strength, her unique qualities. Only Duat had seen this, but Shinigami finally did. She does belong. But would she?
-----
"May I sleep on it?"
Shinigami looked up, surprised. "What?"
"May I sleep on it?" Hermione repeated.
"Er, yes, I suppose," Shinigami said, regaining composure. "But you now know our ways. We cannot let you be alone. You may alert other parties to our presence, our ways. Stay a bit longer, and I will talk with Duat about this."
Hermione snorted at the secrecy. "Fine, I'll wait."
Shinigami stared at her. She had been betrayed so much, and yet she was still able to joke, and laugh, and even smile.
"What are you looking at?" Hermione said uncomfortably. She could feel him probing her.
"Nothing," Shinigami answered quickly, standing to leave. "I will talk with Duat . . . just wait here."
He strode quickly out of the room and commanded Honir, the guard, to watch the door. "Carefully," he added with another thought about how odd the girl was. "Very carefully."
-----
"Did you see?"
Shinigami jumped at Duat's voice as he simply walked into the room. "Yes. I saw."
"She is one of us."
"Yes, sir. She is."
"Yet she did not join."
"How could you tell?"
"That is my secret, and only mine . . . why did you come?"
"I told her everything. We cannot risk her telling anyone else."
"And you do not want her to go home, in fear that we may be discovered."
Shinigami gulped. "Yes, sir."
Duat sat in silence for a time before saying softly. "Shinigami, escort her home. I believe she may join soon. She will not tell. But for your benefit, escort her to her home, so you know she is safe."
-----
"Ran."
Hermione jumped. She had sat in silence for some time. But they were not talking to her . . .
"Ran."
Hermione suddenly remembered that 'Ran' was her given name here. "Yes?" she said, turning to face the black-cloaked individual at the door.
It was Honir, the man waiting at the door. He smiled from beneath his cloak. "You will get used to it."
"Get used to what?"
"Your new name."
Hermione shivered. "You mean --- how did you know it was not my true name?"
"No one ever gives their real name."
"Honir is not your real name?" Hermione questioned.
He nodded.
"What is your real name?"
"That, Ran," he said, grinning at her, "is forbidden."
~+~
LAHAK
Serenity
~+~
"Shinigami."
"Yes, sir?"
"To relax your mind, go explain Vengeance to her. You will see her true spirit: her true fierceness." Duat looked up at his young follower.
"Yes, sir." Shinigami left quietly.
Duat sighed. Shinigami came to him only a year ago. He was troubled, hurt, pained. Duat found him with a dagger above his wrist. Duat barely saved him, only with the promise of bringing pain to his betrayers first. He was saved, but only just. His past still haunted him; Duat knew, though Shinigami tried to hide it desperately. So desperately.
Duat watched Shinigami's retreating back. His perfect soldier . . .
-----
Hermione sat quietly in the black chamber. She turned to see another black- robed man walk through the door, dismissing the other.
"Hello, Ran."
"Hello . . ." Hermione said questioningly.
"I am Shinigami. It is Japanese for God of Death."
"I'm sure," Hermione said sarcastically. She felt his eyebrows raise from beneath his hood, amused. It disturbed her that she could notice this. Brushing the feeling away, she continued. "Where is Duat?"
"He decided to let me explain our humble facility to you."
"I see . . ." Hermione felt his eyes upon her. "Go ahead, no one's stopping you."
Shinigami glared at her. "Each of us has been betrayed. We are loners. Never feeling like we are part of something; never feeling like we have any friends.
"And thus we founded Vengeance."
"Vengeance?" Hermione looked up.
Shinigami smiled. "Yes. Vengeance.
"They helped us. They helped us regain our strength; double it. They helped us embrace our emotions, our feelings. Pain, anger, hurt, desperation. They helped us realize that it wasn't us. They helped us destroy the fear we had. They helped us get back at the ones who betrayed us. They helped us move on."
His voice grew quiet. "They helped me move on."
Hermione stared at him. This was visibly painful, but it was obvious he needed to relive the past, to let it go. According to him, that's what this place was about . . . they hadn't helped him fight his demons yet.
She was about to ask him more about his past when Shinigami briskly continued, "We are only a piece of a larger organization, but we cannot explain that to you until you have joined."
"I see . . ." Hermione mused. This man . . . this man was strange. He understood her. He had his own demons however. She had to help him fight them.
"Are you ready to join us?"
-----
Shinigami looked at her through his dark black hood. She was considering the possibility, considering her life, considering the outcome.
He widened his eyes. She was considering him.
For the first time, he saw her strength, her unique qualities. Only Duat had seen this, but Shinigami finally did. She does belong. But would she?
-----
"May I sleep on it?"
Shinigami looked up, surprised. "What?"
"May I sleep on it?" Hermione repeated.
"Er, yes, I suppose," Shinigami said, regaining composure. "But you now know our ways. We cannot let you be alone. You may alert other parties to our presence, our ways. Stay a bit longer, and I will talk with Duat about this."
Hermione snorted at the secrecy. "Fine, I'll wait."
Shinigami stared at her. She had been betrayed so much, and yet she was still able to joke, and laugh, and even smile.
"What are you looking at?" Hermione said uncomfortably. She could feel him probing her.
"Nothing," Shinigami answered quickly, standing to leave. "I will talk with Duat . . . just wait here."
He strode quickly out of the room and commanded Honir, the guard, to watch the door. "Carefully," he added with another thought about how odd the girl was. "Very carefully."
-----
"Did you see?"
Shinigami jumped at Duat's voice as he simply walked into the room. "Yes. I saw."
"She is one of us."
"Yes, sir. She is."
"Yet she did not join."
"How could you tell?"
"That is my secret, and only mine . . . why did you come?"
"I told her everything. We cannot risk her telling anyone else."
"And you do not want her to go home, in fear that we may be discovered."
Shinigami gulped. "Yes, sir."
Duat sat in silence for a time before saying softly. "Shinigami, escort her home. I believe she may join soon. She will not tell. But for your benefit, escort her to her home, so you know she is safe."
-----
"Ran."
Hermione jumped. She had sat in silence for some time. But they were not talking to her . . .
"Ran."
Hermione suddenly remembered that 'Ran' was her given name here. "Yes?" she said, turning to face the black-cloaked individual at the door.
It was Honir, the man waiting at the door. He smiled from beneath his cloak. "You will get used to it."
"Get used to what?"
"Your new name."
Hermione shivered. "You mean --- how did you know it was not my true name?"
"No one ever gives their real name."
"Honir is not your real name?" Hermione questioned.
He nodded.
"What is your real name?"
"That, Ran," he said, grinning at her, "is forbidden."
~+~
LAHAK
Serenity