Note: Slight reference to something in the videogame world... see if you can find it.
chapter three: overcoming
Over the next five days, the girls would take turns stopping by the guestroom to drop off small meals for Roku. One girl would stop by in the morning to drop off whatever they had for breakfast. In the afternoon, another would clean up the untouched food and prepare a small lunch, setting it on the dining table. Then at dinnertime, Rakka would accompany whoever would bring dinner to Roku. She would have Roku sit up as she carefully removed his bandages, applying the herbal balm that the Communicator had given her. After she was done applying the balm, she would wrap Roku's wounds with a fresh bandage. As Rakka busied herself, Roku would not say a single word.
On the sixth morning, it was Rakka's turn to deliver the pancakes that was served for breakfast. Entering the guestroom, she was surprised to see Roku sitting at the dining table, quietly nibbling on the biscuits that were served last night. The expression that was one his face was not that of a person that was grieving or angry, but instead was a look of confusion and thought. He blinked only a few times as Rakka silently poured him some freshly brewed tea, and served him the pancakes.
"Good morning," she said, finally breaking the awkward silence, "How are you feeling?"
"I can still feel my arm..." Roku whispered.
"Huh?"
"My arm... it's like...it's still there..." He rubbed his left side.
"Um..." Rakka thought, "Oh! I've read about that before. I believe it's called 'The Phantom Limb' effect..."
"Oh..."
Rakka looked upon the boy who sat before her. His expression still wasn't that of a sad person. She then noticed that he was still wearing the gown that he was born in, only this time caked with blood.
"Um..." She began.
"Let's go for a walk." Roku interrupted. "I want to see the town. Um... that is, if you can..."
Shocked that Roku had read her mind, she smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, that's a good idea!" She agreed, "We need to get you some new clothes anyways. And while we're in town, we can visit the others at their jobs."
Roku looked at his gown.
"Oh!" Rakka said, "We can't have you walking around in those, now can we?"
She walked over to the closet, rummaging through the various piles of clothing, looking for something suitable for Roku to wear. Finally after a few moments of searching, she found a pair of old black jeans and a gray long sleeve shirt.
"Ah!" She exclaimed, "This should be good enough 'till we get to the thrift store. And you can find some shoes that fit over here in the closet."
"Thrift store?" Roku asked, finishing the plate of pancakes.
"Yes." Rakka said, "It's a rule that a Haibane can only use items that humans no longer want or need."
"Why?"
"I don't know..." She trialed off, "But that doesn't matter." She tossed the clothes to Roku, "That's why we're so good a sewing, so we can repair and alter the clothes that we have."
"Oh."
"I'll be downstairs getting the Young Feathers ready for class. There's a washroom over there. When you're done, just wait for me where the name tags are hanging."
Roku nodded as she left him alone.
(PC)...
As I found my way to the washroom, I noticed a few pictures hanging on the wall. What caught my attention was not the painting itself, but how the paint was stroked upon the canvas. On a painting of grassy hills, the brush strokes were soft and flowed freely, as if the brushed guided the painter's hand throughout the canvas. But on a much darker painting of what seemed to be a country road during a storm, the brush strokes looked as though they were forced. Sharp lines were defined, separating the sky from the horizon, not blended like the other. I would have to ask Rakka about this.
Entering the washroom, I noticed a mirror hanging over the sink. Hesitantly, I slowly crept over and saw myself for the fist time since I came to this world. I took off my gown, inspecting my left side a littler closer. My chest was wrapped in bandages, and where my left arm should have been was instead a small lump. Running my hand over the soft stump, a feeling of sadness welled up inside of me. I imagined that if I tried hard enough, my left arm would just pop out of my shoulder, and everything would be fine from then on. My eyes swelled with tears as reality knocked me in the head as pain shot from my shoulder throughout my whole body. It was never coming back.
I tapped my forehead against the mirror, making a soft thud. Strangely, about a second later, there came several small taps from the mirror. I suddenly remembered what it was: my halo. I stared at it in amusement, forgetting about my arm. Then in the background, I spied my wings for the first time. I took my left wing in hand, and studied it. It felt exactly like a giant chicken wing, only this time I was at the receiving end, as well as the giving. The feathers were softer than any others that I've felt before. Instead of being pure white, it was colored a soft charcoal grey. I petted my wings over and over, still not over the fact that they were mine.
After a few minutes of groping myself, I put on the boxers and black jeans that Rakka had found. They were a little big, but they were more comfortable than the gown that I wore. Then I wondered how I was supposed to put on a shirt with wings. I examined the shirt carefully and found that two slits were made on the back. Struggling a bit, I managed to put on the shirt, finding out that it too was a little bit bigger. Feeling awkward about my left side, I tucked the left sleeve of the shirt inside. I then pulled the shirt closer to my back, allowing my wings to pop through.
"Hmmm...," I thought to myself, "I wonder..."
I tried flapping my wings, only to fail.
"Eh? It won't move?"
Trying harder, I concentrated on moving the left wing first. To my surprise, my left wing stretched itself, showing me its full length.
"Heh... no trouble at all..."
I then succeeded in moving my right wing. Feeling a bit playful and proud at the same time, I alternated in moving my left wing, then my right. When a few moments had passed, I congratulated myself for mastering my wings.
"Ha! Damn I'm good!"
Exiting the washroom, I went to the closet to look for a pair of shoes to wear. Digging through the piles of shoes in a chest, I found a nice looking pair of white tennis shoes. I slipped them on, not bothering to untie them. Satisfied with the feel of the shoes, I headed out of the guestroom and found my way out to the courtyard. Standing in the middle of the yard, I stared in awe at the beautiful buildings surrounding me. I knew this place from somewhere before, but I couldn't quite put my finger on when and where.
The birds sang softly as I found where Rakka wanted me to wait. I examined the nametags hanging on what looked like some sort of bulletin board. I saw that Kana, Hikari, and Nemu's names were in red while the rest were white. Wondering what this meant, I noticed my name hanging near the end. I took it from the wall and studied it, finding out that on one side it was printed in red while it was white on the other.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Rakka shouted as she ran toward me, dragging a little girl behind her.
"Oh." I said, "I didn't wait long. I just got here myself." I saw the little girl staring at me. "Who's this?"
"Oh, this is one of the Young Feathers." Rakka said, "Go ahead and introduce yourself."
"My name's 'Hana'," The little girl said as she bowed to me, "Nice to meet you!"
"She's coming with us to town because she needs new clothes too." Rakka said.
"My name's 'Roku'," I smiled, extending my hand "It's a pleasure to meet you Hana."
She took my hand and shook it. She then gasped as she noticed my left side.
"What's wrong with your arm?" She asked
"Hana..." Rakka whispered.
"It's okay," I assured Rakka, "It was taken from me." I told Hana.
"Why?"
"Because I didn't eat my vegetables." I said, smiling.
"No way!" Hana shouted, "That's impossible!"
"Okay..." I said teasing her further by shrugging my shoulders. Hana stood there, dumbfounded.
"Hahaha..." Rakka laughed, "Now do you see why Reki wanted you to eat your carrots?"
"Reki?" I thought, "Who's that?"
"Hmm?" she responded, "Oh...well it's sort of a long story... I'll tell you tonight at dinner, when everyone gets back from work. That way, everyone can tell you about her."
"Oh... okay..." I said as I began to walk toward the road.
"Oh, before you go, Roku, make sure to turn your nametag so that the red side shows. That way, whoever is home knows you're still out." She turned her nametag over, as well as Hana's.
"Oh," I said, "So that's what's it's for." I placed my nametag on its hook, red-side out. The three of us then began walking toward town.
The sound of the three of us walking on the dirt road was Zen-like. The scratching of our shoes on the road made me feel nostalgic. I knew this road, but from when and where was all a mystery to me. We passed gigantic windmills on a picturesque field, what Rakka called "The Hill of Winds". The whirring sound of the blades slicing through the air made me feel at home. I wondered if the town itself would make me feel this way.
"Oh!" Rakka broke the silence, "Here's your Haibane Renmei booklet." She said handing me a small brown book.
"Uh... okay... What's it for?"
"We use it the same way people would use money." She informed me, "The Haibane of this town aren't allowed to possess normal paper money, so we write down what we earn from our jobs and use this instead."
"Uh...jobs?" I asked, "What kind of jobs?"
"Well, we're actually limited to only a few jobs around town. Kana works at that clock tower over there in the west." She pointed toward the town. "Hikari works at the bakery on the far north end, and Nemu works at that big building near the middle. That's the library."
"Where do you work?" I asked
"Well..." She thought, "I work at the Haibane Renmei temple during the afternoon. I also help the house mother take care of the Young Feathers when I can."
"House mother?"
"She's this old lady who always makes us eat yucky stuff!" Hana said.
"Hana!" Rakka scolded, "She's not as mean as she makes her sound. The house Mother is a really nice lady. She also acts as their teacher."
"She sounds like a good woman." I said.
"She is." Rakka said as we crossed a small bridge.
"Do you think I'll be able to find work?" I asked.
"Of course. People are always willing to hire us Haibane, because we work hard!" Rakka said cheerfully.
"Easy for you to say." I thought to myself, rubbing my left side.
(PC)...
The town of Guri was as lively as ever. Flower wreaths decorated every balcony that Rakka, Roku, and Hana passed. A crowd of people was gathered at what Rakka confirmed to be one of the most expensive bistros in town.
"I wonder what's going on?" Roku asked.
"I don't know." Rakka said, "Looks like a wedding." She pointed out a woman dressed in a pure white dress, sitting with a man on a long table that everyone faced.
Just as the three were about to leave, the woman dressed in white called out to them.
"Excuse me!" She yelled as she and the man sitting next to her ran to greet them, "Could you Haibane do us an important favor?" She looked at the man who held her arm. They both seemed very exited.
"Yes." Rakka agreed, "What can we do for you?"
"Well...it's kind of embarrassing to ask but..." The man bowed, "Could we have a feather from each of your wings?"
"Eh? A feather?" Roku said, "What for?"
"Well, legend says that if a Haibane man, woman, and child pass by on your wedding day," The woman started, "And you are able to get one feather from each, you will live happily ever after." She sighed in a gleeful manner.
"So you two are getting married?" Asked Roku.
"Yes." The man said, "And I know in my heart that I will forever be by my wife's side." He started blushing, "But having Haibane feathers would practically guarantee our union for all eternity."
Rakka smiled, "Sure help yourself!" She turned around.
"Wow! Thank you!" The woman said, gently plucking the best feather she could find off of Rakka's wing.
"Here, you can have all you want!" Hana said, "Only if you promise to stay together forever!"
"We promise!" The man said, "Thank you young lady!" He then carefully plucked the best feather that he could find on Hana's wing.
"Um...," Roku hesitated. He didn't want anyone touching his wing.
"Come on, Roku." Rakka said, "It's for good luck!"
"As if I could bring good luck..." he thought.
"Please?" The woman asked, "The legend says that we need one feather from a man, woman, and child..."
"Okay..." He sighed as he turned. The woman giggled, and then proceeded to pluck the best looking feather from Roku's wing.
"Thank you! If we ever see you again, you'll always be welcome at our place!" The bride and groom then ran back to the bistro, proudly announcing that they received the feathers. The crowd at the bistro began cheering excitedly as the band played a sort of uplifting number.
"Heheh," Rakka chuckled, "I hope they have the best years ahead of them."
Finally reaching the thrift store, the three entered quietly, spotting the old clothes dealer wearing headphones, listening to what sounded like upbeat jazz on the highest volume setting.
"Welcome." He said almost instinctively, "What can I-, hey you're a new face. Newborn?"
"Uh... yeah..." Roku answered.
"He was just born a few days ago." Rakka said, "Go ahead and find some clothes you like, Roku."
"Roku, eh?" The man said. "Well Roku, it's nice to meet you." He extended his arm out, which Roku received and shook, "The name's Horton, nice to meet ya."
"Likewise." Roku said.
"Go ahead and pick out what you want over there." he pointed to a clothes rack near the back of the store.
"You have anything for this little one?" Rakka asked, gently pushing Hana forward.
"Uh... yeah..." Horton said, reaching for a box behind him. "Here, pick out what you want, cutie."
Hana happily stood on top of a chair and began sifting through the box of clothes. She frowned at the lack of colors, but was still happy to dig through, hoping to find a treasure.
Meanwhile, Roku was sifting through the seemingly hundreds of articles of clothing, mostly made for girls. Then something in the corner of the store caught his eye. It wasn't bright, nor colorful, but somehow it reminded him of something. It was a plaid brown collard shirt. He took it off the rack and inspected it, making sure there weren't any rips or holes. Satisfied, he turned his attention to something that was hanging on the wall next to where the shirt was. It was a leather belt that carried with it a silver buckle, about the shape and size of two thumbs stacked one on top of another. He took it off the hook that it hung from, and tried it out, carefully weaving it through the belt holes of his jeans, buckling it when it came full circle. He glanced to a mirror on his right. Seeing himself dressed this way stirred hundreds of thoughts in his head, none of which he could grasp. He shook his head, clearing his mind.
Satisfied with the belt and the shirt, he took both to the counter, where Horton was busy helping Hana wade through the box of clothes. Hana found a blue shirt and matching pants that she seemed to enjoy.
"Ooh!" She said excitedly, "I want these!"
"Heh, okay." Rakka said, "What about you, Roku?"
"I'll take these." Roku said.
"Hm?" Horton looked up, "Okay. You sure you don't want anything else?"
"No, I'm fine." Roku said, "But...I uh..." He pulled out his Haibane notebook and noticed that it was empty.
"Don't worry about it, Roku." Rakka said as she took out her notebook, "That's why I came with you." She wrote something on a page of the book, tore it out and handed it to Horton. He then took the shirts and began altering them, adding holes for Roku and Hana's wings.
"So it's free now, eh?" Rakka jested.
"Ha!" Horton laughed, "Only for newborns and young'uns." They both laughed. "Oh, hey. You want me to alter this sleeve for you?" He asked Roku.
"Uh... yeah..." Roku said looking at his left side, "Thanks."
"No prob." Horton then began whistling as he altered the clothes.
After a few minutes of waiting, Roku put on the newly altered shirt over the gray long sleeve that he already wore. He noticed that the left sleeve was gone and covered up, making the shirt fit more comfortably.
"You have a good sense of style." She complemented him, "It makes the old clothes that I found in the closet look brand new again."
"Thanks." He blushed, "It feels great on me." He hopped in place a little bit. "Not too big and not too small... juuuuust right." He smiled.
Almost out of nowhere, an elderly woman struggling to push a scooter approached them.
"Excuse me, young man," She said, "Could you please help me push this to the repair shop down this street? My husband works there, and I need him to fix this for me."
"Eh? Me?" Roku asked, pointing to himself, "Well, I could take a look at it if you want... I have a knack for this kind of stuff."
"You do?" Both Rakka and the woman asked at the same time.
"Uh... I think so..." Roku said, kneeling beside the scooter and taking of a cover, exposing the engine. He poked around for a bit, making sure not to damage any vital lines or parts. After a few moments, he closed the engine compartment, standing up and wiping the dirt off his pants. "That should do it. Go ahead and start it."
The woman quickly put her key into the ignition and turned it, successfully starting the small engine.
"Thank you, young man!" She said happily, "Why don't you work at my husband's garage? He already has an assistant, but I'm sure that he needs extra help, what with his bad back and all..."
"Oh, it's okay Ma'am." Roku said modestly, "The engine was just flooded with gas. All I did was open the carburetor and let all the unburned gas escape."
"Nonsense." She said, "Please follow me."
"But I-... uh... my arm..." Roku hesitated, looking upon Rakka for advice.
"I'm sure he wouldn't care as long as you work hard." She said to Roku, "Why not do something you're good at as well?"
"I guess..." Roku said.
"Good." Rakka said, "Hana and I need to run a few errands before I need to get to work. Also, the Haibane Renmei wants to see you. To get to the temple, just take the right path past the bridge. Then just follow the road, all the way to the temple. When you get there, somebody will put bells on you wings. Raising you right wing means 'yes' and your left means 'no'. You can't talk to any of them, so you have to do this in order to communicate with them. Most likely you'll see that masked man who...uh... amputated your arm... uh... he's known as the 'Communicator' and he's the only one who's allowed to speak." She paused, "I'll meet you back home. Take care until then. Bye, Roku"
"Bye-bye, Roku!" Hana waved.
"Later..." Roku waved back. He then turned and followed the old woman to her husband's garage, still doubting weather he could handle becoming a mechanic with only one arm...
(PC)...
I followed the old lady into the garage that was left wide open. Inside, an old gray haired man was sting on a stool, barking orders at a young man who seemed to be working on a small vehicle. They both wore gray T-Shirts over navy blue overalls, and blue baseball caps. The young man also wore a backpack, for what reason I didn't know. The old man, who looked like he stood a good six feet or more, had his hair tied into a pony tail, which hung all the way down to reach the back of his knees. He also wore a beard/moustache mix, which was shaved to give it a sharp look. His grumpy exposure quickly faded away as his wife greeted him.
"How was your day, dear?" She asked as she kissed him.
"Fine." He kissed her back, "And you?"
"This young Haibane helped me fix my scooter." She pointed in my direction.
"Err..." I bowed, "It was nothing sir."
"Nonsense," She defended, "I tried everything to start it again, but nothing worked until he helped. You ought to consider hiring he. You need the help after all."
The old man looked at me with intense eyes. He studied me closely; I suddenly felt his gaze go straight for my missing arm.
"So, you seem to be good with these kind of things, eh?" He snuffed, "Show me what ya got." He tossed a wrench to me. I caught it just as it was about the hit me square in the forehead. "The guy's at the sheep farm keep complaining that their generator isn't working. Go see what's wrong with it." He pointed to a small gasoline powered generator in the corner. His assistant stopped working on the vehicle and joined the old man watching me from a workbench full of tools and spare parts.
Immediately, I ran to the generator and started to check it's major components. After a few moments of poking around, I found the problem.
"The piston is shot." I told the old man, "It needs to be replaced." I got up and wiped my hand on a rag I found on the ground.
"Didn't I tell you?" The old woman said to her husband, "I told you he was good."
"Heh." The old man grunted. He grabbed a metallic object from the workbench and tossed it my way. I caught it in the air this time.
"Replace it." He commanded.
I gulped; I knew how to replace it, but I didn't know if I could do it one handed. Taking a deep breath, once again knelt beside the generator. Carefully, I removed several parts to get at the broken piston. After that was done, I cautiously placed the new piston into position, using my knees to assist my right arm. The awkward balancing and juggling act with the piston using my hand and knees lasted a few minutes, but finally, it was done, and the piston was in place. The rest was simple, and easily completed. I then took the key and inserted it into the ignition. Still nervous, I slowly turned the key. To my good fortune, the engine started.
I stood and wiped the sweat from my face and forehead. The three that had watched me began clapping; an obvious approval of my work.
"Bravo!" the old woman congratulated me.
"Heh, bravo, indeed." Said the old man, "You start tomorrow morning at eight. You and Hyoko here open up the shop and watch it for a while, I usually come in at around nine." He extended his hand, "The name's Gordon. Gordon Freeman."
"Roku..." I said as I shook his hand.
"Magdalene." The old woman said shaking my hand, "But everyone calls me 'Maggie'. It's a pleasure to have met you."
"Likewise." I said.
"Hey." The young man said to me, "Nice job. The name's Hyoko." He didn't extend his hand to shake mine, but instead lifted his baseball cap that he wore, exposing a golden halo underneath.
"You're a Haibane too?" I asked.
"Yeah." He said putting his cap back on, "You live at Old Home?"
"Yeah... how come I've never seen you before?"
"Abandoned Factory." He said, "It's to the east of here."
"Okay girls!" Gordon interrupted, "Enough chit-chat! Hyoko! Get back to work! Roku! I don't wanna see your face 'till tomorrow morning! Now get outta here!"
Instantly, Hyoko was back underneath the small vehicle that he was working on. I on the other hand stood there, wondering what Hyoko meant about an abandoned factory.
"Hey! One-armed bandit! Get the hell outta here before I fire you!" Gordon commanded again.
I bowed to Gordon and his wife, and left. I had a job. And I was damn happy to have one.
end chapter three
disclaimer: with the exception of Roku, Gordon, Magdalene, and the name "Horton" for the old clothes dealer, I do not own any characters that have made an appearance in the story. I did this for fun, not for money. If you own these characters, please don't sue me. Please don't ruin my fun. Also, this story is only allowed to appear on If you wish to paste this onto your site, please ask permission first and give credit where credit's due.