Chapter 112
When Genji woke up, his blurred vision showed only butter yellow. He blinked a few times and regained full conciousness before the world took shape again. He was staring up at a huge mass of yellow clouds against an apple red sky. He sat up to find himself in a field of short grass and looked around. There were a few trees here and there, but not much else. Genji stood up.
**What the....where am I?**
He heard some voices around him.....
"Hey, lookit that!"
"Another new guy."
"Looks kinda like a girl to me....."
"A fur coat....."
"Oh great, it's one of those Mononono weirdoes....."
"Hey, man! It's MononoKE!"
"Whatever...."
"He does look kinda like a girl from this angle...."
Scared, and not sure what to do, Genji broke into a run. The speakers, more of those spirit clouds, jumped away from him as he ran.
"Lucky bastard!"
"You got to keep your body!"
"If only you WERE a girl......"
"We don't get many females down here!"
"Waaaaa! I need a girl, dammit!"
Genji kept running until he came to some flat plains with nothing around. He stopped to catch his breath.
**Funny. This place is nothing like the hell I imvisioned......how do I even know I'm in hell anyway?**
Genji walked foreword a ways until he came across a wooden sign with the bloody words:
WELCOME TO HELL
(IF YOU ARE CANADIAN, THEN IT'S H.F.I.L (HOME FOR INFINANT LOSERS) )
**Oh. Well, whadaya know. I guess I am in hell.....**
He looked around again. Nothing looked too forboding or hell-ish.
**I guess I wouldn't have been able to tell....**
He looked around again, then sat on the ground with a huff.
**What do I do now?**
/|\
Genji did wander around a little more, looking for anyone who could be of help. He only found more unhelpful spirit clouds and pumped-up ogres that looked too scary to approach. He didn't stop walking until he had climbed up a stack of boulders to rest his feet.
**Oh, man.......I can't believe I drank that potion for nothing.......there's no one here who could help me......**
He tugged Murasaki's necklace out of his shirt. He held the flute in his hands.
**I can't believe I got everyone worried over nothing.......I let everyone down.......**
He sighed heavily.
**I've come so far......only to fail.**
He put the flute to his lips, and played a few notes.
**Mother......**
Thinking of his mother, Genji played out her lulliby. The sound made tears in his eyes, remembering how she looked in his dreams, how her voice sounded when she sang.....
......he started crying so hard he couldn't play his notes straight. Taking the flute away from his mouth, he covered his face and sobbed.
'Mama.......papa.......everyone.......
'I'm sorry!
'I failed you all, it's imposible to cure this demon in me!
'I let you all down! I was sent to hell!
'Who would posibly want to help me down here?!'
"Uh oh. New guy. And a young one at that."
Genji looked up to see someone standing next to him. It was a young man in his early twenties with raven black hair, yellowish skin, and a familiar pair of light blue eyes. His voice sounded familiar too.
**Uh.......have we met?**
"Fraid not. I've never laid eyes on you before. Here, lemme help you up."
Genji accepted the man's hand and was pulled up to his feet.
**Thank you.......uh.......**
Genji was aiming for a name, but the man didn't introduce himself.
"No prob, kid. So, what were you sent down for? At your age, you probably killed somebody."
**No, I didn't!" Genji shook his head fiercely. Suddenly, the man's attention was drawn slightly above Genji's head.
"What the.......no halo?! You're alive?!"
Genji looked above the man's head to see a halo. Well, that proved the man was dead......
**Well, my story is a long one, but I have to hurry. I need to get to the heavens.**
"Hmmmmm.....fell by accident?" the man asked, fingering the bandana around his neck. Before Genji could answer, "Maybe I should stick around your company. The locals have field days with people who fall off Snake Road."
**Well, I suppose it shouldn't hurt.....you see nice enough.......**
"I go easy on kids. So, what's your name?" the man asked, putting his hands in his jean pockets.
**Genji.**
"17, nice to meet you."
Genji's jaw almost dropped in surprised.
**OH, MY GOD! Am I glad to see you!**
When Genji woke up, his blurred vision showed only butter yellow. He blinked a few times and regained full conciousness before the world took shape again. He was staring up at a huge mass of yellow clouds against an apple red sky. He sat up to find himself in a field of short grass and looked around. There were a few trees here and there, but not much else. Genji stood up.
**What the....where am I?**
He heard some voices around him.....
"Hey, lookit that!"
"Another new guy."
"Looks kinda like a girl to me....."
"A fur coat....."
"Oh great, it's one of those Mononono weirdoes....."
"Hey, man! It's MononoKE!"
"Whatever...."
"He does look kinda like a girl from this angle...."
Scared, and not sure what to do, Genji broke into a run. The speakers, more of those spirit clouds, jumped away from him as he ran.
"Lucky bastard!"
"You got to keep your body!"
"If only you WERE a girl......"
"We don't get many females down here!"
"Waaaaa! I need a girl, dammit!"
Genji kept running until he came to some flat plains with nothing around. He stopped to catch his breath.
**Funny. This place is nothing like the hell I imvisioned......how do I even know I'm in hell anyway?**
Genji walked foreword a ways until he came across a wooden sign with the bloody words:
WELCOME TO HELL
(IF YOU ARE CANADIAN, THEN IT'S H.F.I.L (HOME FOR INFINANT LOSERS) )
**Oh. Well, whadaya know. I guess I am in hell.....**
He looked around again. Nothing looked too forboding or hell-ish.
**I guess I wouldn't have been able to tell....**
He looked around again, then sat on the ground with a huff.
**What do I do now?**
/|\
Genji did wander around a little more, looking for anyone who could be of help. He only found more unhelpful spirit clouds and pumped-up ogres that looked too scary to approach. He didn't stop walking until he had climbed up a stack of boulders to rest his feet.
**Oh, man.......I can't believe I drank that potion for nothing.......there's no one here who could help me......**
He tugged Murasaki's necklace out of his shirt. He held the flute in his hands.
**I can't believe I got everyone worried over nothing.......I let everyone down.......**
He sighed heavily.
**I've come so far......only to fail.**
He put the flute to his lips, and played a few notes.
**Mother......**
Thinking of his mother, Genji played out her lulliby. The sound made tears in his eyes, remembering how she looked in his dreams, how her voice sounded when she sang.....
......he started crying so hard he couldn't play his notes straight. Taking the flute away from his mouth, he covered his face and sobbed.
'Mama.......papa.......everyone.......
'I'm sorry!
'I failed you all, it's imposible to cure this demon in me!
'I let you all down! I was sent to hell!
'Who would posibly want to help me down here?!'
"Uh oh. New guy. And a young one at that."
Genji looked up to see someone standing next to him. It was a young man in his early twenties with raven black hair, yellowish skin, and a familiar pair of light blue eyes. His voice sounded familiar too.
**Uh.......have we met?**
"Fraid not. I've never laid eyes on you before. Here, lemme help you up."
Genji accepted the man's hand and was pulled up to his feet.
**Thank you.......uh.......**
Genji was aiming for a name, but the man didn't introduce himself.
"No prob, kid. So, what were you sent down for? At your age, you probably killed somebody."
**No, I didn't!" Genji shook his head fiercely. Suddenly, the man's attention was drawn slightly above Genji's head.
"What the.......no halo?! You're alive?!"
Genji looked above the man's head to see a halo. Well, that proved the man was dead......
**Well, my story is a long one, but I have to hurry. I need to get to the heavens.**
"Hmmmmm.....fell by accident?" the man asked, fingering the bandana around his neck. Before Genji could answer, "Maybe I should stick around your company. The locals have field days with people who fall off Snake Road."
**Well, I suppose it shouldn't hurt.....you see nice enough.......**
"I go easy on kids. So, what's your name?" the man asked, putting his hands in his jean pockets.
**Genji.**
"17, nice to meet you."
Genji's jaw almost dropped in surprised.
**OH, MY GOD! Am I glad to see you!**