Chapter 27 : Death
Nuriko :
CHIRIKO!!!
I hurriedly struggled to stand up. Ignoring the pain in my back, I ran towards the direction of the voice.
I froze in my tracks when I saw Chiriko's back facing me, several metres away. There was something big, black before him. There was a pungent odour coming from it.
"Chiriko? Daijoubu ka?" I asked softly as I took a step forward.
Chiriko turned around, revealing the fresh stream of tears pouring down his puffy cheeks. His eyes were red but filled with terror and fear right to the very core. It was like as if his fears were slowly eating him up on the inside.
"O..." Chiriko stammered. His lips were trembling as he tried his best to stop crying and deliver the message that he wanted to say. "Okaa..."
"Chirko, hush now..." My arms were outstretched as I slowly began to approach the timid boy. I tried my best not to look at the 'thing' behind Chiriko. But, my eyes stubbornly continued to look and stare at the sight before me. 'What the hell is that?' I thought silently to myself.
What carcass of an animal has two heads?!
Chiriko shook his head and took several small steps back every time I tried getting nearer.
"Uso..." The little boy whimpered. Without warning, he turned around and began running away from me and the 'thing', towards the direction of the village.
"Chiriko! Matte!!! Oi!" I cried out frantically. Chiriko ignored me as he continued to run even faster.
I sighed. Crouching down, I decided to take an even closer look at the carcass. I wrinkled my nose and held my breath as I leaned forward, examining it. The horrible stench of decaying flesh was simply too much for me. Clasping a hand over my mouth, I tried not to vomit.
Flies swarmed the carcass lazily, flying here and there. The carcass was extremely large, the size of two men put together. Two heads with sharp fangs protruded out from the single neck, making it look even worse than anything I had ever imagined. Strangely, its saliva continued dripping although the creature was dead. Grabbing a nearby stick, I poked it into the creature's mouth. I gasped in horror and surprise as the front portion of the stick turned black and reduced to mere ashes in seconds.
"Poisonous acid..." I muttered under my breath.
Not able to take the stench anymore, I stood up, taking a deep breath before exhaling. How long had I been holding my breath?
I glanced down at the carcass again. I couldn't help it... Curiosity killed the cat, as the saying goes, I took an even deeper breath and crouched down again to examine it.
Majority of the flesh was burnt badly. The only remaining fur was found behind the sharp pointed ears. Other then that, the creature was completely burnt and naked, its black over cooked flesh exposed to the hot shining sun.
Pointed ears. Four limbs with sharp threatening claws, razor sharp teeth with poisonous saliva... Two heads, one neck, a creature all burnt to crisp.
I was very sure that this creature was part wolf. Part something else. Human? Possible. The bone structure of this creature seem so human like.
I searched my memories, trying to remember what Amiboshi once said.
Could it be Miboshi who send this creature out?
Or was this Ashitare?
Even so, why would they kill their own kind?!
Chiriko :
I ran as fast as my weak legs could carry me. My chest heaved up and down, I was almost breathless from all that running. Perspiration mixed with my salty tears trickled down my face, dripping, dampening my already soaked clothing.
If that 'thing' was dead, what chances were the survival of the village? My family? Okaa-san?! Onii-chan?! What were their chances of survival!? I had to find out, I just had to!
Panting, I leaned against a crumbling brick wall of a house.
Crumbling?!
I turned around as I scanned the area.
The strong stench of blood and death filled the air, filling my nostrils. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.
Corpses were strewn everywhere. Dried blood stained the filthy ground, making it a deep red colour, almost like clay.
Houses had their doors thrown wide open. Some even had large holes in the straw roofs. Others were practically reduced to a mere crumbling state. It was as if the whole village was attacked by monsters, no, not monsters. Demons. Large, fierce, merciless demons.
Flies swarmed the corpses in numbers.
I almost screamed when I saw the state of the corpse nearest to me.
The corpse was headless, dried blood caking the blue robes. The hands were twisted in an awkward shape and the legs were slashed almost beyond recognition. I almost thought that the corpse had four arms instead of two legs and two arms. The clothes were tattered and torn. Both arms had turned black as if someone, something had poured poisonous acid over them. I couldn't imagine what the poor person felt like as he was being killed in this most horrible and unnatural way.
What kind of a sadist did this!?
My throat became dry, as if it was filled with scorching hot sand. My eyes stung as tears began to fill them again. I closed my eyes, no longer able to absorb the horrific scene before me. I felt my legs collapsing underneath me. I sobbed violently, pounding the ground every once in a while.
Naze?
Why did the sadist had to do this? What kind of a sin had the villagers committed?
Naze?!
FLASHBACK
"Doukun, hush there my boy, don't cry..." Okaa-san gently dabbed my wet cheeks.
"Demo... Okaa-san..." I couldn't help it but burst into another fresh flood of tears.
"Doukun, remember, no matter what, I'll always be with you. You don't ever need to cry if some big kids tease you okay? Daijoubu..." She patted my head.
"Remember, always be strong..."
END OF FLASHBACK
That's right...
Okaa-san...
I came here to see her, did I not? Onii-chan as well...
I wiped away my tears and rubbed my eyes. Sniffling, I tried standing up. My legs were still wobbly and weak.
"I have to..."
"I have to see Okaa-san... She's waiting..." I whispered to myself as I unsteadily took a step forward.
And another.
Pretty soon, I was sprinting towards the end of the village, towards a hill. I shut my eyes as I ran down the dusty path. I didn't want to see anymore corpses. Beyond the hill was a large house with a beautiful garden. A kind, lovely lady lived there.
My okaa-san lived there.
I looked ahead at the long flight of concrete steps that led to the top of the hill. I was almost breathless and panting. My cheeks were flushed as perspiration rolled down my face.
I can't give up now...
Not now...
I've got to continue...
Okaa-san, onii-chan... They're waiting for me... I must go to them... I must be strong!
For their sake...
Biting my lower lip, I began ascending the long flight of steps, ignoring the layer of dried blood and dirt that covered the steps. I squeaked when I saw a bloody human hand on the steps. Gingerly, I kicked it away and whimpered. Why, why did it have to be so scary?
My bottom lip trembled as my legs began shaking in fear. My palms were wet, covered with my perspiration.
Boku wa...
"I can't do this anymore..." I wailed loudly as I collapsed on my knees. I've never been this brave before!!!
As a young kid, I was always teased for being so small and weak. Constantly picked on and bullied by the village boys. I came home crying all the time. As a result, I had very little friends and spend my time in the house, learning. I thought that if I couldn't be strong physically, I could be strong mentally. I studied everyday, with secret hopes of becoming the Emperor's official, to at least bring honour to my family. To prove that I didn't need to be strong physically to bring honour and pride to my family's name...
When I discovered that I was a seishi, part of my hopes shattered. Being a seishi means that I had to be a strong, brave man to protect the miko. Something so impossible...
How could I protect the miko if I was scared of frogs? Screaming when I saw blood, fainting whenever I had too much...
Demo okaa-san, okaa-san believed in me. She was my pillar of hope, my strength, my motivation...
But now, she wasn't here...
I can't do it anymore! I can't take it! I don't want to be involved in this! It's all so scary!!!
Just then, my symbol on my right foot flashed brightly. I was stunned by the sudden appearance of my symbol.
"Never give up, little one... I'm beside you... Go, go to your okaa-san..." a soft voice whispered into my ear.
I gasped. What...
Who was that? I spun around to see no one standing behind me. Everyone behind me, the villagers, they were dead.
Dead.
What if okaa-san was dead too? I whimpered at this thought. I shut my eyes tightly, clutching my head with both hands. I can't take this... I'm really scared... I really am...
"Chiriko! Daijoubu ka?!" A familiar voice called out my name. I heard fast light footsteps approaching me. I screamed as I felt someone tapping my shoulder.
"Chiriko! Open your eyes!" The voice commanded. Reluctantly, I obeyed.
I looked up to see a worried Nuriko looking down at me, both hands gripping my shoulders. "Nuriko!!!" I burst into another rack of sobs.
Nuriko wrapped his arms protectively around me, giving me warmth and comfort. "Chiriko, I'm so sorry... Your entire village..."
Sobbing harder, I buried my face into his clothing, clutching his shirt. Nuriko stroked my back gently.
"There, there... You house isn't here right? It's somewhere else right?" Nuriko asked, nervously biting his lower lip.
"It's... On the other side of the hill..." I stammered.
Nuriko smiled brightly. "Right! So that means, there are chances of your family still alive, right? So, what are we waiting for? Come on, let's go..." Nuriko stood up slowly, letting my lean on him for support.
Slowly, we continued to climb up the hill. The smell of death and decaying corpses were getting fainter now. A slight cold breeze blew, drying my damp cheeks.
Finally, we reached the top of the hill. I looked down, wanting to see the large mansion at the foot of the hill.
"Nuriko..." I weakly croaked out his name. Nuriko glanced down too before gasping in horror.
There, just a few metres downhill was a corpse of an old lady.
Her blood drenched clothing was ripped to shreds. Her mouth was hanging wide open, as if she was screaming in terror. Her long white hair had been hacked short. Her abdomen was slashed open with half the contents spilling out. Her eye sockets were empty, part of her brain had been forcefully pushed out through her eye sockets.
Her body was completely drained of fluids, leaving behind a heap of rotting flesh and bones. Her arms were missing and her legs were almost torn off her if not for the few strips of muscles that attached it to the rest of the body.
Around her neck, she wore a silver chain with a golden phoenix pendant.
Something that okaa-san always wore...
No, it can't be... It just can't be...
"Okaa-san..." I whispered before I blackened out.
Narrator :
Somewhere, up in the heavenly realm...
"Suzaku, you damn bastard!!!" the infamous blue dragon, Seiryuu roared, his nostrils flaring.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU"RE DOING?! FANCY GOING TO THE MORTAL REALM TO HELP YOUR SEISHI?!"
Suzaku looked at his older brother and snorted. "I only whispered into his ear to encourage him."
"HOW DARE YOU?! YOU'RE BREAKING THE RULES!!! NO OF US ARE SUPPOSE TO INTERFER!!!" Seiryuu raged as his pale blue skin began to turn a light pink.
Suzaku, knowing that answering back would only make the situation worse, kept mum. He knew he broke a rule. But he couldn't help it. Chiriko was after all the youngest. A little kid didn't deserve this harsh fate. He only wished, that somehow, he was able to change the whole thing, making sure that Chiriko wouldn't....
Chiriko wouldn't...
Fate, whatever was pre-destined for the young seishi was a harsh one. Suzaku could only pray for a miracle.
"SUZAKU, ARE YOU IGNORING ME?!"
Suzaku faced his brother with tears brimming in his large pensive eyes. His eyes flashed dangerously.
"NONE OF THIS WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU DIDN"T START THE GODDAMN WAR!!! NOW, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY REALM!!!" Suzaku screeched as he summon a large fireball and aimed it at Seiryuu.
Seiryuu was blasted out of Suzaku's realm, but not without muttering a string of curses and some unknown vocabulary.
'Fine, Chicken wants to play dirty..." Seiryuu snickered. 'He'll get his just desserts...'
Author's note :
Alright... This was a tough one typing out... My mind was completely blank and all I could think about was my Drama script... I'll be getting a whole lot busier so I decided to just get this chapter up so I can focus more on my other stuff... For some freaking reason, my mind won't rest knowing that I haven't finished and posted this goddamn chapter...
Disclaimers apply to this chapter and the next and next...