Fire filled the once calm Winter night, making the dead air alive with dancing flame. An entire village lay in shambles, corpses littering the ground. A woman lay in a whorish sprawl, her hakama rumpled between her legs, exactly as she had fallen. A dead man and woman curled around an infant to protect it, though all had been stung through like pieces of beef, their blood mingling on the flagstones leading into the village.
The wielder of the weapon stood above his latest kill, the blade of the scythe glowing a faint red. Or perhaps it was the coating of blood reacting with the moonlights glow. He stood with his feet apart above the woman, breathing in great gulps of the air to catch up with whatever he lost while in his killing trance. The bloodshed was so much like a dance that he, in his mission, had been swept away by its beauty. Its symmetry, its lack of reason. For this was all a mission, another chance at fun.
That was, until he smelled her.. The scent of ancient times coming back to him, flooding his mind with images as it always used to. Fields full of white and red flowers, through which roamed a girl in a white frock. Sandals abandoned by a brook of freezing water, flowing uphill it seemed. Sunlight reflecting off her dark blonde hair.. It was always that color of hair that threw him, how did it show up? Generations ago had there ever been such a color that would pass a gap and land upon her? Laughter, hidden deep in the recesses of a shed in which slept a litter of white, one eyed creatures.. Demons..
To himself he growled, rubbing his temples to relieve himself of the headache that often accompanied these memories. It was one thing to posses this body to do his bidding, but another entirely to control his own thoughts to stay in control.. He would have to ask his lord to clear his thoughts again, to rid him of these tormenting images.
Those blank eyes would lower, examining the hand that held his katana, stained in soot and human blood. This weak, human body.. If he was in possession it could do awesome things, like destroying all the villages in a hundred mile radius. Without him, it would be only an empty shell, pieced together from some battle to the West.. Pathetic..
But that scent was definitely the one his Lord had told him of, his target was nearby. A flood of worry overtook him suddenly. What if, in his blood lust, he had slain her with the others? Had he mistaken the girl for some other maiden of the same features? The terror increased as he looked down at the woman at his feet, blood masking her features and hair in a resin like coating. His human shell was becoming more aware by the second.. No, he had to finish this now!
Angrily, he took up his scythe once more, taking off at a dash through the center of the wreckage to search, following the path his nose directed him to follow. Another scene of misery came before his eyes, as though an angel had shone light upon the Earth to aid only him.
There in the middle of a shredded house, the flames long since turned to embers by the once again falling snow, sat two forms. One had obviously been burnt to death, but still resembled a woman nearing her forties: Rather old for such a time, but in this remote place anything was possible. Sitting next to her, crying as she held her form of prayer, was a girl. One could easily mistake her for thirteen or even twelve if she tried hard enough. To his trained senses, he could guess she was anywhere from fifteen, to sixteen winters old, the faint scent of blood still surrounding her to prove that indeed she had been fertile for a few years now.
So caught up in the scene was he, that he at first made no move. something out of a story, in some time somewhere.. A mother taken by the flames of an enemy, and the child performing the rites.. Cannibalism was a no, but the prayer and the offerings were all there. Until he noticed the last key ingredient in the scene that scent him whirling: Dark blonde hair.. A great mess of it, tied back into an untidy braid, held back with a leather thong.
The flowers flooded his mind again, sandals kicked off, the feel of icy water running over his feet. The one eyed demon litter flying and crawling around his feet in his fathers shed, while she sat with the mother..
"....Sayaka.." He said this to himself, mostly out of shock, the words barely escaping his mouth as a breath of air. That too, had somehow been too loud. Matched on some unknown level, the girl had noticed him, looked up.. But not as the killer he truly was.
"Onegai.. Tasukete, onegai!!" She broke her prayer stance, doing a full kowtow as she was still upon her knees, looking back up with tears in her speckled blue eyes. Yes.. The same crystals he remembered, shining on her face. The almost hunters green making her look even more catlike than ever... Before the flower scene blurred his vision once more, he shook his head violently. No! This was not the girl he remembered, this couldn't be! This girl was... Human..
With his scythe in both hands, he held it to his middle, walking towards her with a doubtful look in his eyes. She truly had no idea what her fate was..
"Sir, please.. My.. My mother.. My village.. Everything! The gods must have answered my prayer for help.. He sent an angel to help me dig out the survivors!" She smiled, wiping her tears away as she spoke. "He even told you my name.."
"...Your name is Sayaka as well, then?" Settling the scythe upon one shoulder, he looked at her with his blanked eyes.. The third eye, which allowed him normally to see much better while in his own form, was tightly closed even though it yearned to open wide.
"Huh? I see, so your name is the same as mine..? Odd, I've never met a man with a woman's name before.. Well, it doesn't matter. Please, help me dig the others out, there's not much time! My father has stopped yelling a few minutes ago and I fear the worst.." To prove her desperation, she turned away and began to dig with her hands in the rubble and ash, sending dark clouds of dust rising around them both.
"..I'm.. Sorry, Sayaka.." Once again speaking quietly, he took hold of his scythe once more, stepping closer and raising it above his head before cocking it to the side, preparing to bring it down upon her.
"Sorry is right.. I wish I could find whoever did this.. Whoever robbed me of my family, my home, my entire memory.."
The scythe began its downward swoop, gaining speed even as he began to put his arm behind it, to give it the force needed for the final blow. Something stalled, though.. It was as though time itself stood still for just a moment, leaving the weapon in midair, and only the living in normal time. She continued to dig as the weapon was suspended, keeping it from harming her.
"D.. Damn you... Damn you... DAMN YOU!!" Almost wailing, he yanked his hands away from the weapon, clamping them firmly over his eyes.. The human was once more gaining control, force him out. Curse the phases of the moon keeping him from the full possession he needed! Already he felt the sensation of being dragged through a wet cloth, forced out of the body by the remaining soul of the young man.
The eyes lost their blank stare, dark brown eyes blinking woozily.. He still had no clue about the demon, though he looked about in vain to try and see something. The three eyed creature had already fled, returning in defeat to his lord to beg forgiveness and think of another plan to capture his target.
"Are you just going to stand there, or help me dig?!" Sayaka yelled this straight ahead, not taking the time to look over her shoulder and yell. The ash continued to fly until she hit solid ground.. Shifting as she continued to move her hands, straining her ears to hear any yells as she began another section of digging.
Dazedly, the man fell to his knees, staring straight ahead as the scythe fell to the ground. The surroundings seemed to sink in even more, making him realize what at least had happened during his blackout. He looked first to the bloodstained scythe.. Then in horror at his hands.. His hideous, red soaked hands.. How many had it been this time? How many lives was he forced to take? The right hand raised, touching his black hair and trying to smooth it back, frowning when his hand grew even stickier.
"What's wrong with you..?" It was again as though time was being controlled, shifting back to normal as she turned, looking at him.
"....I.... I did it.. " Was all he managed to say, shocked beyond belief as comprehension engulfed him as an ocean wave does the sand.
"....Nani?"
"...I did this... To you... To all of them..." He looked as though on the verge of tears, an inner fire raging inside of his chest as he lunged forwards, grabbing her around the waist in a fierce hug, face buried on her shoulder, holding her tightly.
"What the hell?! Let me go! What do you mean 'You did this'?! Do you mean to tell me you just killed my entire village and now you're hugging me?! GET OFF!!" Sayaka struggled, empowered by both her anger and her wanting for freedom. she did get loose quickly, once she got enough sense about her to haul off and pound him a few times on the head.
Shoved off and beaten near senseless, he looked up at her, tears prominent now in his eyes. "Please, try to understand!! I didn't do this of my own will, I think I was.. Possessed or something! Please, I beg of you.. At least let me clean up whatever messes I made.. I'll bury the dead, and then I promise I'll leave you alone. I swear on my honor!" This was said on bended knee, trying to make her believe him.
She'd scooted back a considerable amount, glaring with pure hatred lighting her eyes.. Though they softened considerably... He was actually promising to bury his own victims..? Possession? What was WRONG with this guy, overall?
Without hearing her response, he awkwardly picked up the scythe on the wrong end, dragging it uselessly behind him. It seemed that what he said could be possible.. He seemed to truly not know how to use the weapon he'd destroyed with. The sharp end he attacked the Earth with, cutting a square deeply before ripping it out with his hands, continuing to go deeper to make a grave.
She watched curiously as he dug, looking back at the remains of her village as nature once more began to take control.. snow had settled and stalled the flames, it had soaked the embers and mixed them with the mud below.. Nature was taking its course, natural deaths or not..
Crawling through the cold slush, she reached one hand down into the now rather well along hole, touching his hair tentatively. She withdrew her hand when he jerked his head back up, staring at her as though she were a ghost.
"You.... You know, you don't have to do that anymore.. Someone else is already.." She raised ehr hand, gesturing to the scene before them. Corpses, the bloodstained Earth, everything.. Every single thing was covered with a blanket fo fresh, white snow. As though the Gods themselves had seen it, were horrified, and erased it entierly. She felt, in her own way, that this was much better than dieing buried underground.. Underground you would only feed parasites while above ground, yuo could be connecte4d with the entire food chain.
"Are you sure you don't wish for me to continue..? I could be done in a few days.."
"I'm positive, trust me.."
"And you're alright with this? That scavengers may eat the very people you lost?"
Nodding, she patted her own chest. "Daijobu.. I'm serious, stop digging.. I want to hear more of your story.. How could you not know you were killing so many, ruining so much..? Why did you suddenly change back, and volunteer yourself for clean up duty then swear never to return.. Riddle me this.. Do you REALLY think I'd just want to stay here with no place to stay and my only company being graves?" She frowned, arms crossing over her chest in annoyance.
"....What do you mean?"
"I mean, what's done is done.. I want to see if you're lying or not.. There's nothing left for me here and you seem to have an idea of somewhere to go.. I want to come with you.." She rubbed her face and eyes to get rid of the last of the tears and redness, nodding as though agreeing to herself.
Placing both hands on either side of his hole, he scrambled out of it, leaving the scythe inside the hole.... walking about the rubble, looking for something. "...Fine.. but on one condition only."
"...Which is?"
Finding something suitable, he raised a half burnt piece of bamboo used for the back edge of a kitchen roof. To this he attached a kitchen blade, tying it on tightly with a strip of cloth from his shirt. Fastening it as tightly together as he could, he walked back to her, offering her a hand to stand up. This she took, showing that again, she was shorter than someone by a few inches. Her own height was just about five inches below his. Handing her the spear, he went back to the scythe.. Frowning, but picking it up.
"...Wait a second, I've got another question.." She spoke up as he turned to head out of the area, assuming her to follow. Follow she did, right beside him as he slowed his pace to allow her to do so.
"Yes?"
"..What's your name, anyway?"
"... My name... Is Ryuko.." He said this slowly, as though unsure for a moment of his own identity.
"..Ryuko... Hmn, interesting.. My name is Sayaka, if you're curious at all.." She turned, taking a look back at her former home, smiling faintly. "This is it, I guess... A new beginning.. A new start.."
"Hmn?"
"A-ano... nothing.. Really."
And so, their forms grew blurred in the distance as the abandoned village lay in silence, sleeping under the blanket of ivory powder. In the distance, a wolf howled and a bird chased its dinner.. It seemed nature had indeed taken care of the problem, as not a single thing was out of tempo. The sun still rose, the moon still came chasing the sun, and the stars still twinkle overhead.. Though even the stars would have no idea how their tales would continue.. Only the gods above know... And do you know what?
They're not telling.. Not yet, anyways.
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I wrote this story based on a role play a friend and I are running currently. There will be two stories based on this one in the future, once the future chapters of this issue are done. This Role Play is based very loosely on Yuzo Takada's 3x3 eyes as it has reference to the Sanjian Unkara and the demons with three eyes. I chose not to steal his characters, but create my own. I hope you enjoyed this first installation 's chapter! I'll update both this, and "I Never Promised You A Cherry Blossom" A.S.A.P!
