Whee! Second chapter!
Review responses:
Naoko Kensaku: *wince* Yes, I know, I know. Look for a second chapter of "Origins" soon after this is put up.
xOneWingedAngelx: Thanks. You're a pretty good author yourself.
A/N: I think the third genre of this story should be angst. You'll understand after you read this chapter.
Disclaimer: I own Taki. That's it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Instrumental
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pain...
That was my first feeling when I awoke. The next was blood.
I jerked my head up.
A column of smoke was rising from the wreckage of our house. The strangers must have set it on fire before they left. No one could possibly be left alive.
I felt tears start to burn my eyes, when I heard a cough. I looked down - into the face of my oldest brother, Danshi.
He coughed again, weakly, and opened his eyes. "Hey, little bro," he whispered in a hoarse voice. His face was covered in ashes and blood, and there was a large cut on his forehead. Despite all this, he smiled.
"I dragged you... from the flames," he said. He was obviously having trouble breathing, and I could feel his strength fading fast. I tried to clean the blood off his face, but he stayed my hand. "No..." He shook his head slightly. "It's too late... for me." His hand fell to his chest, and I saw that his shirt was dark with blood. He must have had another wound I didn't know about.
"No one else... is left," he coughed. "I... checked. You were the... last one." He raised one hand to touch my face. I tried to speak, but I couldn't. "Take care... of yourself. Find... Shira."
His eyes closed, and his hand went limp.
He was dead.
I wanted to cry, to howl, to do something - but-
I gasped in pain and held my throat. The blond man had done more damage than he knew. I wasn't dead-
But I couldn't speak.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wandered among the ruins of what had once been my home. Charred and blackened beams were everywhere - and so were the bodies. My family was dead; my sister, kidnapped. But I couldn't do anything for Shira now.
I dug graves for my family with a slightly singed shovel I found in the shed. The fire hadn't quite reached that far. When they were buried, I went searching for suitable grave markers.
I had gathered some pine branches and was taking them back to the graves when my foot bumped against something hard and metallic. I looked down to see my flute. I must have dropped it while I was running to the house - the fire hadn't touched it. I smiled bitterly and picked it up.
When the pine branches had been planted at the head of each grave, I kneeled a moment in prayer. Then I took up my flute and played a song - a sad song. A funeral song.
I might not be able to speak...
... but I could still play music.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I barged through the door of the old man's house.
He dropped his soup bowl, startled. "What the hell-" He took one look at me and modified whatever he had been about to say. "- happened to you?"
I strode over to his desk and grabbed a notepad and pen.
"My house is burned down and my family is dead," I wrote, then showed it to him.
He stared at it, then back at me, eyes wide. "But who-?"
I grabbed the notepad back and wrote, "I don't know."
He peered at me closely. "Why aren't you speaking?"
I sighed and sat down, gesturing for him to do so as well. This was going to be a long night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After some time, I had gotten the whole story written down for him, with the old man reading over my shoulder. As I finished the last of it, he sighed and sat down. "That's a terrible story, that is," he said, rubbing at his temples. "I don't really know what to tell you."
"Do you know the men who kidnapped my sister?" I wrote.
He shook his head grimly. "No, but from what you told me, they sound like demons."
I stared at him in shock, forgetting to write.
He sighed. "I know it sounds hard to believe, but there are demons. And, judging from what they did to your mother -" He eyed me seriously. "No human man could have accomplished such a casual display of power. However - a demon could. Especially if it was a higher-class demon."
I used to think the old man was a little crazy, but after what I had just been through, I could believe anything. And his answer certainly made sense.
"But why did they kidnap my sister?" I wrote.
"You said- I mean-" He seemed at a loss for words for a moment, then continued, "The two men called her a 'Summoner', right?"
I nodded.
"Well, it sounds to me as if they need her to call a higher-class demon up," he said. "Several ancient demons have been imprisoned, and it usually requires something special to break the seals."
"You mean like a sacrifice?" I scribbled, my hand shaking in anger.
The old man shook his head. "No, most seals aren't that simple. Besides, why would they come all the way out here for a sacrifice? They could easily have picked up a girl from the city."
I pondered this for a moment. It did make sense.
"They must want something else from her," he mused. "Make her do something..."
I realized the answer with a jolt.
Music!
"They want her to play music for them!" I wrote furiously. If I could talk, I would have been shouting. "There must be a special song or piece of music they want her to play, and that will summon the demon!"
"Yes, that could be it," the old man said. "But now that we know, what can we do about it? Heaven knows where those demons have gone with her. It would take years before you found the exact demon they're trying to resurrect, much less get there and save your sister."
"Teach me," I wrote.
"Eh?" His eyebrows rose as he read what I had written. "What do you mean, teach you?"
"I won't be able to carry a notepad and pen everywhere I go," I wrote with a steady hand. "But I will be able to carry my flute."
He nodded slowly, as what I meant became clear to him.
This wasn't just any old man. He was the one who had taught me to play my flute. He had a lot of theories about music - and a lot of old knowledge. He knew what I meant when I said I could feel the notes. And he could teach me to use the music.
Use it as my voice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Exciting, ne?
Don't worry, the Tantei should be coming within the next chapter or so. Until then, read and review!
Review responses:
Naoko Kensaku: *wince* Yes, I know, I know. Look for a second chapter of "Origins" soon after this is put up.
xOneWingedAngelx: Thanks. You're a pretty good author yourself.
A/N: I think the third genre of this story should be angst. You'll understand after you read this chapter.
Disclaimer: I own Taki. That's it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Instrumental
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pain...
That was my first feeling when I awoke. The next was blood.
I jerked my head up.
A column of smoke was rising from the wreckage of our house. The strangers must have set it on fire before they left. No one could possibly be left alive.
I felt tears start to burn my eyes, when I heard a cough. I looked down - into the face of my oldest brother, Danshi.
He coughed again, weakly, and opened his eyes. "Hey, little bro," he whispered in a hoarse voice. His face was covered in ashes and blood, and there was a large cut on his forehead. Despite all this, he smiled.
"I dragged you... from the flames," he said. He was obviously having trouble breathing, and I could feel his strength fading fast. I tried to clean the blood off his face, but he stayed my hand. "No..." He shook his head slightly. "It's too late... for me." His hand fell to his chest, and I saw that his shirt was dark with blood. He must have had another wound I didn't know about.
"No one else... is left," he coughed. "I... checked. You were the... last one." He raised one hand to touch my face. I tried to speak, but I couldn't. "Take care... of yourself. Find... Shira."
His eyes closed, and his hand went limp.
He was dead.
I wanted to cry, to howl, to do something - but-
I gasped in pain and held my throat. The blond man had done more damage than he knew. I wasn't dead-
But I couldn't speak.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wandered among the ruins of what had once been my home. Charred and blackened beams were everywhere - and so were the bodies. My family was dead; my sister, kidnapped. But I couldn't do anything for Shira now.
I dug graves for my family with a slightly singed shovel I found in the shed. The fire hadn't quite reached that far. When they were buried, I went searching for suitable grave markers.
I had gathered some pine branches and was taking them back to the graves when my foot bumped against something hard and metallic. I looked down to see my flute. I must have dropped it while I was running to the house - the fire hadn't touched it. I smiled bitterly and picked it up.
When the pine branches had been planted at the head of each grave, I kneeled a moment in prayer. Then I took up my flute and played a song - a sad song. A funeral song.
I might not be able to speak...
... but I could still play music.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I barged through the door of the old man's house.
He dropped his soup bowl, startled. "What the hell-" He took one look at me and modified whatever he had been about to say. "- happened to you?"
I strode over to his desk and grabbed a notepad and pen.
"My house is burned down and my family is dead," I wrote, then showed it to him.
He stared at it, then back at me, eyes wide. "But who-?"
I grabbed the notepad back and wrote, "I don't know."
He peered at me closely. "Why aren't you speaking?"
I sighed and sat down, gesturing for him to do so as well. This was going to be a long night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After some time, I had gotten the whole story written down for him, with the old man reading over my shoulder. As I finished the last of it, he sighed and sat down. "That's a terrible story, that is," he said, rubbing at his temples. "I don't really know what to tell you."
"Do you know the men who kidnapped my sister?" I wrote.
He shook his head grimly. "No, but from what you told me, they sound like demons."
I stared at him in shock, forgetting to write.
He sighed. "I know it sounds hard to believe, but there are demons. And, judging from what they did to your mother -" He eyed me seriously. "No human man could have accomplished such a casual display of power. However - a demon could. Especially if it was a higher-class demon."
I used to think the old man was a little crazy, but after what I had just been through, I could believe anything. And his answer certainly made sense.
"But why did they kidnap my sister?" I wrote.
"You said- I mean-" He seemed at a loss for words for a moment, then continued, "The two men called her a 'Summoner', right?"
I nodded.
"Well, it sounds to me as if they need her to call a higher-class demon up," he said. "Several ancient demons have been imprisoned, and it usually requires something special to break the seals."
"You mean like a sacrifice?" I scribbled, my hand shaking in anger.
The old man shook his head. "No, most seals aren't that simple. Besides, why would they come all the way out here for a sacrifice? They could easily have picked up a girl from the city."
I pondered this for a moment. It did make sense.
"They must want something else from her," he mused. "Make her do something..."
I realized the answer with a jolt.
Music!
"They want her to play music for them!" I wrote furiously. If I could talk, I would have been shouting. "There must be a special song or piece of music they want her to play, and that will summon the demon!"
"Yes, that could be it," the old man said. "But now that we know, what can we do about it? Heaven knows where those demons have gone with her. It would take years before you found the exact demon they're trying to resurrect, much less get there and save your sister."
"Teach me," I wrote.
"Eh?" His eyebrows rose as he read what I had written. "What do you mean, teach you?"
"I won't be able to carry a notepad and pen everywhere I go," I wrote with a steady hand. "But I will be able to carry my flute."
He nodded slowly, as what I meant became clear to him.
This wasn't just any old man. He was the one who had taught me to play my flute. He had a lot of theories about music - and a lot of old knowledge. He knew what I meant when I said I could feel the notes. And he could teach me to use the music.
Use it as my voice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Exciting, ne?
Don't worry, the Tantei should be coming within the next chapter or so. Until then, read and review!