DARK DAY FOR ANIME - THE RIGHT DISHONOURABLE MARK A PAGE
Disclaimer: Haibane Renmei is, irrefutably, the product of Yoshitoshi ABe as well as Aureole Secret Factory and Fuji Television. It was produced and aired in 2002. Which makes it an awfully long time since there has been an anime worth watching.
----o
Calmly and gently, their hand guided them to achieving what they'd hoped from them. Yet still, so many had failed. And they cried, because they so often could feel the failing from the beginning. So why did they keep trying? Why? What was the point? Perhaps they would have been better had they not tried at all...
But they were never one to give up. That darkness that skirted even the edges of their own mind could be banished, if one would allow it. But sometimes, that darkness was not satisfied with having their children consume themselves, and came searching for them where it was not its place to do so.
And so they created one that would banish the darkness for those children hunted by it. But first, they needed to ask for help...
----o
Ketsueki had always felt that, as long as she kept looking for happiness, she would find it. Not that she could remember anything, now, about that search, but it seemed to her that, if she had found true happiness, then the darkness that had pursued her through most of her life would go away and leave her alone. Forever. But still, no matter what she had done, the darkness kept chasing, until one day it had caught her.
It wasn't here now, though. Not now that Rakka was here. Rakka was going to help her. Rakka had saved her in her dreams and Rakka would protect her here. That must mean that Rakka was the happiness she had been searching for, ever since... She couldn't remember. But there was a warmth whenever she thought of the auburn-haired angel who had held her when she had emerged from that prison. When she had touched her face, she'd known that there would be no return of the darkness. No return, ever, as long as Rakka was by her side.
And when she opened her eyes, for the first time since that moment, she found she was in an unfamiliar room, lying on an unfamiliar bed, wearing unfamiliar clothes. And she was completely alone. Rakka wasn't there at all.
Alone.
----o
An Haibane Renmei Fanfiction
Red Feathers in Old Home
(A Girl With Red Wings)
by Dark Day For Anime
Part 3
Time - Summons - Darkness
----o
"Are you sure that is what it is?" Hikari whispered as she brushed down the second set of clothes she had chosen for herself that day. Having the first set completely drenched in fluid from the cocoon, they were now being washed, hopefully, by the twins, who'd promised to have everyone's dirty clothes on the line and dry by mid-afternoon. Hikari was sure that it would be a mistake to rely on them for anything, but there wasn't really much of choice as they'd basically snatched the things from people, sometimes before the person had a chance to take them off themselves.
Of course, it had been the twins who had found the message posted to the board in the archway at the front of Old Home. They'd shown just about everyone the message with the "swirly letters" before even thinking of handing it to someone who, just possibly, might live in Old Home and, therefore, might actually be the recipient of the message. Hikari couldn't make head nor tails of it, the letters being every bit as weirdly swirling as the twins had described... A kind of red script whose characters never sat still on the page for long enough for her to be able to read them... A kind of reactive dyslexia, where as soon as she thought she recognised part of a character, it shifted and changed to something else.
But Rakka seemed to know exactly what was written. "Yes, a summons to the Temple from the Washi, himself." She swallowed, the note quivering in her hands. "But I'm there, most days. He doesn't have to summon me like this. Not with a note like this."
"What does it say?" Hikari placed a hand on Rakka's arm, trying to calm her. Obviously, whatever was written on the note had made her nervous.
"Well, it says, ahem, 'Haibane Rakka, oub sno ebekos eertwond ba kob...'".
"Alright, alright. That's enough. I don't think this message is meant for anyone but yourself." Hikari shook her head. Even hearing the words, as garbled as they were, had made her head hurt.
"What?" Rakka frowned at her. "Don't you want to hear what it has to say?"
"Yes, it's just that... I don't think it is likely you'll be able to relay the message, even if you want to."
"I don't get what you mean."
"I do." They both turned to where Kumiko was finishing up brushing the newborn Ketsu's hair, after it had been washed and dried. She was lying the girl back, gently, on the bed in the common room. "The message was coming out of your mouth as garbled as it was on the paper. I guess that means it's protected by means more than a simple mixture of compounds in the ink." She stared down at the face of the newborn, a wistful expression on her face as she pulled the bedsheets across her front. "You know, she even looks a bit like Chigusa..." She whispered, then snapped from her reverie and turned back to the other Haibane. "Well, I think you'll be too busy to do anything else today, Rakka. I might as well go back to town and get busy. Plans for the festival are behind as they are." She stepped up to Rakka and planted a hand firmly on her shoulder. "You really know how to get out of work, don't you? Honestly, after all the careful planning..."
Rakka laughed nervously with Kumiko before the woman said her goodbyes and left them on their own. Even before her footsteps had faded, there was another knock on the door.
"Come." Hikari sat down on the edge of the bed as the door opened slightly, Fujita peering in.
"Well everything's done, now. I'll send my lads packing. We've still got the job on the Hanazaki's house to finish off by the end of the day, and with this weather there ain't no excuse for slacking off." He chuckled. "Anyways, I'll be back tomorrow with Kristas and Jones. They'll check out the state of the wiring in this place. There isn't much, but it would be bad if this place were to turn into a firetrap."
"Thanks for this." Rakka said as she rolled up the message, momentarily glancing at the table, where the painting was sitting, now wrapped up in a much nicer cloth than the previous one that she'd used earlier. Fujita stepped in a short distance, following her glance, as if he'd been drawn into the room by the object. Rakka and Hikari watched as he stared at it, intently.
"You know..." He began, then shook his head. "Sorry, just zoning out. It doesn't matter. Anyway, see you later." He bowed slightly and stepped back out of the common room, closing the door behind him. Hikari waited until his own footsteps disappeared before turning to Rakka, who'd moved to the edge of the table, emulating Fujita's intent on the painting.
"He was very strange, earlier, when he saw that." She watched Rakka as the Haibane lifted the painting from the table and tucked it under her right arm, turning to Hikari as she did so. "He almost looked scared."
"I noticed." Rakka responded, quietly.
"You know, I don't think it would be a good thing if we were to keep that hanging around where everyone can see it. I mean, those eyes and wings on the girl... It could freak the little ones out."
"That's okay. I'm putting it in Reki's room. That way nobody will have to see it. Unless they go in there, of course, and why would anyone want to..."
A moment's uncomfortable silence passed between them, before Rakka started towards the door. Hikari stood, putting out a hand. "Wait... Are you going to go to the temple right now?"
"That's... my intention. Better to get this over and done with as soon as possible." Rakka kept her expression turned from Hikari before she opened the door. "I mean, it couldn't be anything bad, could it?" And with that, she left Hikari on her own with Ketsu, stopping only once she was sure she was alone. She unrolled the parchment of the notice and read its words.
HAIBANE RAKKA,
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED TO THE TEMPLE OF THE HAIBANE RENMEI TO DISCUSS THE ARRIVAL OF OUR NEW FEATHER. PLEASE BRING THE PAINTING WITH YOU, FOR THERE IS MUCH TO TELL YOU BEFORE SHE IS TO TAKE THE HALO THAT REPRESENTS HER PLACE AMONGST US.
The message had been signed with the seal of the Washi.
How did he know about the painting? There had been much ruckus in town because of the discovery of the cocoon, thanks to Kumiko, so that he would know about Ketsu's arrival was not surprising, but the painting? Unless Kana had mentioned something, and word had got around... But that didn't seem very likely.
She rolled up the parchment again and tucked the painting underneath her arm more tightly. It was going to be a long walk to the temple. Good thing the weather was so kind...
----o
Fujita's small workvan chugged slowly along the road between Old Home and the township. With one arm leaning on the window ledge, he took in the warm, clean breeze that wafted through into the cabin. Well, clean until his little can belched smoke into it. It was amazing the vehicle worked half the time: it was one of the rare motor vehicles in Glie, built outside the wall, of course, but nobody knew how or by whom. But it was a necessity in his job, and he'd gained special permission to use it. However, it was almost as old as he was, and like himself, it was beginning to show its age.
Leaning back in his seat, he glanced momentarily out of the window, and spied a figure, standing atop a small rise amongst the windvanes near Windy Hill. He couldn't see who it was; they were covered in robes (one of the Haibane Renmei?), but the figure seemed to be watching him. It unnerved him and his gaze returned to the road. He'd never made waves with those who were in control of Glie, and, as far as he was concerned, the further he was from potential trouble, the better.
He rubbed his chest, feeling a slight pain.
----o
"Clothes line, clothes line..." Chorused the twins as they almost ran through Rakka in the corridor, carrying baskets of freshly washed clothes with them. Rakka chided them for not paying attention to where they were going, but that seemed a one-way path to an endless conversation about the merits of Rakka's turn of phrase, a common game-playing the twins indulged in, never allowing their quarry to get a word in, edgewise, so she let them go on their way.
Eventually, she stepped out into the courtyard, now empty of people in the noon sunlight. She stared at the crates at the far end, then looked down at the covered painting underneath her arm once more. She wondered if there were any other odd surprises amongst the collection, but decided that that was pretty unlikely. After all, she hadn't been summoned with anything else in mind, and it wasn't like that they were going to find the bones of a Haibane in any of the crates, or something like that.
At least, she hoped not.
She turned and made her way through the arch, pausing to flip her nameplate next to the noticeboard, then out into the fields beyond. The air was practically filled with the dry-fresh smells of a summer day, and the bugs that went with it. About 100 meters from Old Home, she was buzzed by a swarm of flies, and spent the next minute or so swatting them away before they decided to annoy something else. Even the brightest of days had its downsides.
Continuing, she turned away from the road that lead to town and started across the fields, towards the Temple. Despite her tension at being summoned, it was hard not to feel the brightness of the day... The sunlight cast down from a clear, blue sky, warming her to her bones. As she made her way up a small rise of grass, she paused and brushed her hair from her eyes, staring up into the deep blue of the sky. Right at that moment, she felt she could cast her name away and fly. The wings on her back twitched, reflecting her desire. She looked downwards, at the wall that surrounded Glie, then closed her eyes, lifting her arms out, painting held tenuously in one hand, and imagined what it would be like to take off over that wall... And fly on forever. On a day like this, she had no fear of doing just that.
She heard footsteps, and opened her eyes. Quickly clutching the painting to her, she looked around, and saw one of the Renmei from the temple standing nearby, watching her. She swallowed and started to move on, glancing back to see if they were following. He did not, but continued to watch as she disappeared out of his sight.
The moment was gone for Rakka, as she entered a small glade through which the river, that lead to the temple, ran. There was something strange about this day, and for Rakka strange things only meant problems...
----o
He watched as the Haibane, Rakka, left his presence, practically running from him. He did not blame her. The way he was now frightened even himself. Not that he could have calmed her with soothing words. There were no words for him to say, to anyone, anymore. Death might have been preferable to what he was forced to endure, but what was the point of worrying about it, now? The darkness had claimed him as its victim, and there was nothing anyone could have done to stop it. Just like there was nothing anyone could do to stop it now...
He should return to the temple. But he couldn't. Something was holding him back. He turned, once more, to the Western Woods, and the wall beyond. And he came to a decision.
----o
Rakka had been to the Temple on more days than she hadn't since she'd arrived in Glie. Outside the gate, one the the Renmei acolytes was standing, as always, as if his only purpose was to wait for those who would approach, apparently staring into space. After approaching him, he presented Rakka with the bells of communication on her wings and wrists, and took the painting from her. The gate opened, as if on cue, and they both stepped into the courtyard glade beyond.
It was almost a full minute of walking through the silence of the glade, punctuated by the soft tinkling of Rakka's bells, that the acolyte stopped and motioned her to do the same. Rakka was used to the fact that, sometimes, the Washi wouldn't always keep up his appointments, especially at his age (though she had no idea how old the Washi really was), but this time, the waiting became almost painful. She was moving about on her feet to keep up the circulation and making as thorough an inspection of the glade as she'd ever had, with nothing else to distract her.
Eventually the old man came into sight, walking along the main path slowly, his winged cane supporting his unsteady form. To Rakka, he looked older and unsteadier than he had even only 48 hours ago, when she had last seen him. For a moment, it appeared as if he was going to stumble, and she stepped forward in a reflex to help him. The acolyte put out a hand that blocked her path, and the Washi paused, holding the top of his cane with both hands, as if regaining composure.
He lifted his masked face and considered Rakka a moment. "So, you have come, Haibane Rakka. And most prompt, if I must say so." His gravelly voice changed pitch slightly, as if he'd lost some control over his vocal chords. "There is no need to help this old man. When the time comes for me to need such help, a quick tour of the grounds is not something that I would consider. Though it is good that you feel it within yourself to lend another a hand." He chuckled and waved at her to follow him.
They made their way, very slowly, through the glade to a rock that was half-buried at one edge of the temple, where the Washi sat down and considered her. The acolyte, who had followed them silently, lifted the painting, offering it to him.
Taking it, he unwrapped the cloth, peeling away the layers with a deliberate slowness that wasn't due to his age. There was a trepidation about what he was going to find, and indeed, upon seeing the figure of the Akabane in the painting, he sighed and shook his head, lowering it to his lap and considering Rakka once more.
"This painting is one you found in a storeroom, is that not correct?"
Yes. The bell jingled softly.
"Hmmm..." The Washi placed a hand to his chin and thought. "It has been a long time since I last saw this. Back then, it was being stored in a small gallery basement in the town. After what happened then, it was decided that it should be left close to the Haibane. The people of the town didn't want it near them."
"Uh..." Rakka caught herself before she spoke. The Washi looked up at her.
"You are allowed to speak."
"Uh... I was... going to ask... Who is the picture of?"
"Hmmmm." The Washi didn't look pleased with the question, but Rakka decided to press the issue.
"I understand that it is an Akabane. Kumiko told me as much. I mean, it is obvious, really. The wings are red. But what is an Akabane? What makes them different to the Haibane? And just what is it about the Akabane in that painting that makes you react this way?"
"Very good questions." The Washi harrumphed, clearing his throat, as much to give himself a little time to consider what to say. "Well, I cannot answer you as to what an Akabane is, in terms of what makes them different to Haibane, as there is only one, or there only ever has been one, in existence as far as I know. At least, only one that has involved themselves in the affairs of Glie." He held up the painting. "The Akabane Akai. There is no other name for her, and she has been reborn in Glie, to my knowledge, at least eight times."
"Reborn in Glie?" Rakka swallowed. "Is it possible to keep returning to Glie like that?"
"No." The Washi waved a hand at Rakka, cutting off the question. "Nobody visits Glie more than once. Nobody, other than Akai. But then, Akai has never had a Day of Flight, either. The last time she was here was within my memory. It is why the painting was placed in Old Home. When Akai is born, great dangers appear in Glie, for the townspeople and for the Haibane. Or, more or less, she is born because of those dangers. And her return is presaged by the arrival of a Haibane in close proximity to this painting." His finger tapped the top of the picture frame. "Which leads us to the unfortunate Haibane in question. I have heard what happened earlier today... That the Haibane was practically blown from her cocoon, like an explosion."
"I'm not sure if I would put it that way, but the birth was premature. The cocoon hadn't quite hardened and dried properly." Rakka looked down at the figure in the painting. "So you believe that this... Akai... is going to return to Glie soon?"
"If I were a betting man, which I am not, I would have to say that the odds are in our favour. So to speak." He chuckled drily. "Come, sit down, Haibane Rakka, and I shall tell you what happened the last time Akai appeared." He gestured to a soft patch of grass, and Rakka followed his direction. He then handed her back the painting and waved the acolyte away, who promptly withdrew. "Now then, where should I start? Ah yes... One day, the curator of the town gallery discovered a cocoon in the gallery's basement storeroom..."
----o
There was a strong force pushing against him as he entered the small clearing that existed between the Western Woods and the wall. Here, the wall was at its most imposing, its most powerful and its most dangerous. He knew the feeling well... He'd been here before, and had seen a sight nobody else in Glie had seen. A sight nobody in Glie would ever hope to see. In fact, at this very spot. He walked up to the wall, passing by engraved stones that might, once, have been monuments, or shrines. Without touching it, he could feel the waves that pounded against the wall on the other side. It did not surprise him.
It wasn't often that the wall was attacked like this, the last time being many years ago, an entire lifetime for him. Back then, the monster that wanted into Glie was given its chance, and it did much damage, for but a short space of time, before it was destroyed. But that damage was great, too great for him...
He quivered for a moment, remembering those events. Why should this be happening again? Wasn't it destroyed the first time? Was this monster indestructable? Was it reborn outside the wall as its nemesis was reborn within, in an eternal cycle? He fell to his knees and clenched his fists. He had to give the newborn time... Time he wasn't given.
He opened his hands and stared at them, then slowly started to unwrap the cloth that entwined them, like bandages, revealing the pale flesh underneath. Even before he became... what he was today, his body was withering, pale and flaccid. The darkness did that to you, scarring you deep inside so that it showed out.
He reached into his robes and pulled out a blade, engraved with words that, only now, did he understand. The newborn had to be given time, and there was only one way he could give them that time. Slowly, he planted the blade against the flesh of his left wrist...
----o
"And what happened to Fune?" Rakka swallowed. "Did he achieve his Day of Flight?"
"No." The Washi's single word answer almost seemed underlined with a complexity of emotions. "Fune had been hurt deeply by the darkness. Far too deeply. Before Akai was called, his wings had been cut by a force outside of him."
"That... that isn't fair. If he was not caught in the circle of sin, why should he be made to suffer?"
"Hmmm." The Washi nodded. "But that is what happened. You see, the circle of sin, itself, is a self-generating, self-perpetuating artifact of karma. It is not merely a concept. It exists. It is out there, somewhere, as ethereal as we are. A maelstrom given form and energy by those who seek refuge within it. And as you know, misery loves company."
Rakka almost fell over. "You mean to say the darkness is little more than the will of sin, given flesh? And this hunts those that pass into Glie?"
"Only every so often. It is the conceit of the darkness to believe that souls are merely there for it to prey on. But then, it requires the conceit of another to give it form. Someone from outside the wall. Someone whose will is trying to chase the Haibane into Glie. Do you remember, the crows?"
Rakka frowned, then nodded, understanding. "The crows were the will of someone I knew from the other side of the wall. But..." She paused, thinking. "But their feelings weren't hostile. They were anything but."
"And thus they were able to pass into Glie. Glie is a sanctuary, from the evils that exist outside." The Washi went silent for a moment, then held up a hand. "There is something happening, right now... No." He stood, so quickly that he lost balance. Rakka caught him before he fell to the ground.
"What... What is it? What happened?"
"That fool. That little fool. Did he think I sent him out for this purpose?" His voice was rasping, as if he only had half the energy from moments before. Rakka looked at him worriedly as the acolyte returned, summoned in a manner that Rakka could not understand. The elderly Washi was helped to his feet and handed his cane. Rakka also stood, replacing two of the bells which had been knocked from her. "I am sorry, Haibane Rakka. There are affairs that we must attend to. I was hoping that I could speak to you further about the newborn... Ketsueki?"
Rakka nodded. "That is what she called herself."
"A premonition dream in the cocoon." The Washi sounded tired. "You must look after Haibane Ketsueki, as if your life depended upon it, for as long as you are able to."
"As long as I'm able to?" Rakka blinked. But the Washi did not answer. He dismissed her and moved on with the acolyte, leaving her alone in the glade, with a feeling inside her heart that she wasn't expecting.
Not now, anyway.
----o
The three acolytes approached the wall beyond the Western Woods, and found what they were expecting to find. It was a miracle that their brother was even alive. He had spread so much of his blood across the wall that it was a miracle that there was any left.
They reached down and dressed his wounds, which were quite deep, and carried him away from his efforts. And all this time, in the first words he had said for many years, he begged them to leave him to die there.
It was what it wanted.
----o
Afternoon was starting to wear down as Rakka returned to Old Home. The shadows were lengthening, and the brightness of the day seemed to have descended into starkly contrasting hues of light and dark, a veritable chiaroscuro that changed with her every feeling. As she stepped into the archway, she was sure something bad had already happened. She didn't know how she knew this... Something on the wind, carried to her during her peregrinations across the fields. Absent-mindedly she reached out to turn her nameplate, and felt it cold beneath her fingers.
She let it go and watched it drop to the ground, falling with the 'out' side face upwards. She continued to stare at it as someone approached her.
"Oneesan?" The gentle voice brought her out of her reverie, and she turned as Hana picked the nameplate from the ground, replacing it on its hook, 'in' side face outwards. She turned to Rakka and looked at her with concern. "Are you okay, oneesan? You seem pale."
"I'm okay." Rakka chuckled with emotions she didn't feel. "I'm just tired. It's a long walk to and from the Temple." She patted Hana on the head. "How are you feeling, after this morning?"
"I'm a lot better. Please don't pat me on the head like that. I'm not a little kid, anymore."
Rakka withdrew her hand, still smiling. "If you say so."
"Moooouuu. You and the others are always treating me like I'm one of the little ones. Even the twins do it."
"Sorry, sorry. We're just not used to your being so, well, big." She put a hand behind Hana and guided her back into the courtyard. "In my mind, you're still a kid."
"I can see I'm going to get this until I'm taller than all of you." Hana pouted.
"Anyways, how is Ketsueki?"
"The new girl?" Hana scratched her head and shrugged. "I was looking after her not long ago. The twins said they'd do it, but Hikari couldn't find them when it came time to change shifts."
"That'd be right." Rakka shrugged. "They have the attention span of gnats."
"They did get the washing done. They even ironed everything."
"Our clothes have probably shrunk in the wash." Rakka sighed as they stepped through the main doorway into the building and made their way towards the common room.
"You know, she has pretty hair. Long and black." Hana said, quietly, pressing her hands together nervously. "I wish I had hair like that. It looks just like Reki's."
"It does a bit." Rakka mused. "I bet she'll boss us all around like Reki used to, as well."
"Reki wasn't so bad. I really miss her." Hana turned to Rakka. "I still don't understand the Day of Flight. It seems so unfair for us to have to leave everyone behind. I really don't want to go."
"Then you probably won't go. At least, not until you feel it is time."
"That won't ever happen. I want to stay here, with you and everyone else."
Rakka swallowed, trying to control herself. "Everything changes, Hana. Even you. One day, you'll feel the desire to move on. You won't even know when it is going to happen... It's just there... The desire to... fly away."
"Oneesan?" Hana tugged at Rakka's sleeve as they came to a halt a short distance from the common room. "Are you alright?"
Rakka wiped her eyes. "Mmmm... Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about me. I was just thinking of Reki. When you mentioned her, I..."
"Moooouuuu... That pair! I'm going to brain them when I find them." Hikari said as she approached them from behind. They turned to see her lugging a box of kitchen implements.
"What's that?" Rakka asked, thanking Hikari for the opportunity to get her emotions under control again.
"Half of our pots and pans. I'm sure Sa was intending to sell them at the Markets Festival. Found them when I was looking through the wardrobe in Nemu's old room, where we keep all the second-hand clothes. It would be nice if we had something in the new girl's size, other than the old nightdress she's wearing now. At least, that was what I was thinking before I found this lot. I'd been wondering where it had all gone, of course."
"Seriously... How did that pair ever become Haibane in the first place?" Rakka facefaulted as Hana clutched tightly onto her arm.
"I really think we should send them to the Factory. They'd fit in with the girls there, better." Hikari dropped the box onto the floor with a crash. "They've probably run all the way there when they heard me growling after I'd found it. Honestly... It'll be the Hibernian Modge, for dinner, for them tonight. Extra thick and lumpy. And tasteless."
There was a thumping, crashing sound, and a cry of pain and fear, from the common room. All three looked at each other, eyes wide.
"What the heck..." Hikari managed to get out before any of them moved.
"RAAAAKAAAAA! RAKKA, WHERE ARE YOU? HELP ME! DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE! RAAAAKAAAAAAAAA!" Ketsueki's voice echoed along the corridor as they reached the common room, throwing the door open. Ketsueki was on the floor, beside the bed, just barely on her hands and knees, desperately crawling towards them, her fingernails digging in to gain purchase. Rakka pushed the painting into Hana's hands and ran up to Ketsueki, grabbing her, lifting her up into a sitting position.
"Ketsueki... Ketsueki, what are you doing?" Rakka tried to grab the girl's attention, but she fought Rakka, as if trying to get away. Eventually, Rakka managed to grab her by the chin and pull her face towards hers. The moment Ketsueki's maddened, zigzagging eyes locked onto Rakka's face, she stopped and went limp.
"Rakka... You're still here. Still here..."
"Yes, I'm still here." She smiled as the girl rested her head against her chest. Rakka then noticed that she had cut her lower lip, probably when she fell from the bed. She reached over to Hana. "The cloth around the painting, give it to me, quickly." Hana quickly unwrapped the cloth and handed it to Rakka, who started dabbing Ketsueki's lip with it. "This is a nasty cut. I wish we had some ice, or something like that."
"Unfortunately, the refrigerator doesn't work well enough for the freezer to make ice..." Hikari stepped away, looking for the medical kit, muttering. "Hasn't worked well enough for a couple of years, now."
"I can get you some ice." Said a voice from the doorway. Rakka looked up to see the twins, watching the scene, smiling nervously. It was Sa who spoke.
"Oh, you do, do you?" Hikari stamped back across the floor, leaning over them with hands on hips. "And just where are you hiding this so-called ice?"
"I made a little freezer device, from bits I got in town." Sa gave Hikari her best rabbit-in-the-headlights expression. "I can get some now, if you want."
"Yes." Hikari gestured back to Ketsu. "I guess I might just want. Pronto."
Sa scampered past her sister, back down the hallway. Yu stayed where she was, watching Ketsueki with frightened eyes. "I could hear her. I kept telling Sa. I could hear her screaming for the past couple of hours..."
"What are you talking about?" Hikari turned her attentions on the second twin. "She only started just a minute ago."
"No, it was... ever since she came out of the cocoon. I've been hearing those cries... It was like at the edge of my hearing, like it was distant. When it happened just then..." Yu shook her head and took a step back. "She shouldn't stay here. You should send her to the Factory. I don't want her here. She's strange." And with that, Yu ran off, presumably following her sister.
Rakka looked down at the girl, lying contentedly in her arms, wondering whether, or not, Yu might actually have a point.
END OF PART 3
----o
DARK DAY FOR ANIME - THE RIGHT DISHONOURABLE MARK A PAGE
FEATHER 2.0: 24 November 2005