Note: There is none...Enjoy.
chapter 11: the beginning
"Hey Kana?" I shouted, from my room, "Could you help me out with this?"
I bounced around from one end of the room to the other; struggling to free myself of the monster on my back; something a normal person would call a dress shirt. I made the mistake of trying to slip it on, instead of unbuttoning it first, and now I was paying the high toll. I was trapped.
"Jeez, you're such a klutz." She muttered, entering my room, "Stay still."
I stopped my frolicking, and stood still, gasping for air. Sweat already dampened the white cotton shirt, enabling me to see a shadowy figure approaching.
"Come, on..." I complained, "I wanna look nice for the Communicator."
During the past eight months, The Communicator and I would meet often and the Haiabne Renmei Temple. The motive for our visits were normally just for The Communicator to hear what I had done the past few weeks, and for him to inform me about the Tooga's interests in me. In fact, I was warned to have ammunition carred on me at all time; for what reason I do not know, but I did comply. At any given moment, my revolver was loaded with five bullets, with one chamber being empty (as it would be VERY stupid to have the chamber resting on the hammer loaded. Any sudden pressure could force a misfire and I was knowledgeable enough about firearms to remember this.).
The more The Communicator and I spoke with each other, the less formal we became. The Renmei knew that I was able to communicate to them with sign language, and never put any bells on my wings again (except for the chain-link wing covers).
This meeting was somewhat special though. The message posted on the bulletin board stated that this was to be our final meeting.
After rescuing me from me cloth prison, Kana whipped the shirt into shape and inspected it for any damage. She then replaced the shirt onto my body, and attached each button.
"What would I do without you?" I asked, scratching my head as she worked.
"You'd be mud." She hissed. "Now stand still." She continued dressing me by affixing a navy blue neck-tie. She then finished my outfit with a black sport coat.
"There."
I turned away from her, and looked into the full body mirror. The black leather boots I wore would certainly keep me warm in this freakishly cold early spring weather, especially since the inside of the boots was lined with fleece. Adding to the warmth was the sweat pants that I wore underneath my black wool slacks. Underneath my shirt was my holster and revolver; never has it left my sight.
I readjusted my tie, centering it between the edges of my collar. As an extra precaution against the extreme weather, I slipped on the black, hooded trench coat that Kana had given me as a present for the End of the year festival. Topping off my outfit was a brown, and extremely long, scarf that Rakka had knitted.
"Well…" I turned once again to face Kana, "How do I look?"
"Like…" She thought for a moment, "Like one of those dummies in the clothes store."
"Damn…" I laughed, "I blame you."
"So what do you think he called you in for?" She changed the subject.
"I don't know…" I led her out of my room. "Probably wants to catch up."
"Can you believe it?" She changed the subject again. "In two days, it'll be your birthday!"
The thought hadn't occurred to me; it truly was nearly a year ago that I was born into this world.
One whole year of rediscovering life.
One whole year of rediscovering myself…
"Yea…" I said softly, exiting the building and walking out into the snow covered canvas that used to be the courtyard. Maybe this was the reason this was the final meeting between The Communicator and I.
"You want me to come with you?" She asked me as we stopped at the gates of Old Home. I faced her and contemplated the sight before me.
As usual, she wore brown or dull colored clothing. Her thick military surplus pants hid her figure. The heavy leather jacket she wore gave her a bulky appearance; not to mention the fact that it appeared as though she was hiding a ewe underneath, as wool covered her neck, and the bottom part of her face. The beanie that her wore (which WAS mine to begin with) was too large for her head, and only halted just below her eyebrows.
All in all, she was dressed like a little fat school child.
Though, I couldn't blame her, as the weather seemed to drop in temperature daily.
"No, you go on inside and stay with the others." I said to her, holding her in an inescapable embrace; kissing her on her cold cheeks, "I'll be back before nightfall."
(PC)…
Upon reaching the gates of the Haibane Renmei Temple, Roku was greeted by two Renmei members. Almost immediately, the gate slowly opened, revealing the interior of the temple.
Unfortunately, the garden of trees inside the Temple was unable to escape the harsh winter. What surrounded Roku as he walked past were the brown skeletons of former evergreens, piled upon by the white heavy fluff. They sagged, weighed down by the snow, seeimg as though the trees were sad at the load they had to bear.
As Roku truged onward, he spotted the gazebo, the location of his meeting with The Communicator.
Inside, he spotted the old man sitting opposite of the door, cradling a staff or walking stick on his lap.
"Good afternoon, Roku." The Communicator greeted him.
"Good afternoon." Roku replied, approaching The Communicator.
"My how you've grown over the past year…"
"Really?" Roku looked at his own sides, "Am I getting taller?"
"No," The Communicator offered Roku a seat next to him, which Roku accepted, "You haven't grown in that way…. You're a much better Haibane than you were before."
"Obviously…" Roku said, indifferent about The Communicator's complements, "I'm just doing what you ordered, sir."
"No. You are living your own life. What you have done within the past year was all by your own free will."
"I guess that kinda true…"
"Now then." The Communicator placed the bottom tip of his staff on the floor and leaned against the top. "Tell me about your relationship with Kana. From what I've gathered, you two have gotten fairly close to one another…"
"Yea, that's true," Roku felt uneasy. During his past meetings, he had never spoken a single word about Kana and his relationship. He wondered who could have ratted them out. "But… who told you that?"
"A little bird…" The Communicator chuckled. Unknown to Roku, The Communicator was referring to Rakka.
"Hmmm…" Roku eyed The Communicator, "Well, yea it's true. We've went out together, spent a lot of time together…" He hesitated a bit, "Also… during the winter storm, everyone in Old home moved into the north wing to save on fire wood… Kana moved into my room…"
"Oh?"
"Ah! W-we haven't done…that…" Roku blushed profusely, "I-I know it's not allowed! Hell, I never even thought about it during that time…" He lied of course; afterall he WAS a young adult male. What else would be going through his mind when sharing th same bed room with a member of the opposite sex? "Of course, the others are fine with the two of us. It's like we've been like this forever."
"Good." The Communicator cleared his throat. "Now onto business. Do you know why I summoned you?"
"Well, yea." Roku scratched his head, "It's our last meeting."
"Yes it is. But I also summoned you to warn you…" He trailed off.
"Warn me about what?" Roku asked.
"Roku, you are a grown man now." It seemed as though The Communicator was changing the subject, "You must make your own choices from now on. I can no longer guide you. In fact, after we part today, we are to no longer give you any special treatment within the Temple. Not only that, YOU must act like the rest of the Haibane. The casual ties between you, the Haibane Renmei and I are to be cut. This is the order of the Tooga."
"I see." Roku looked to the flor, not knowing what else to say. "Them again." His heart began filling with dozens of emotions. Sadness, grief, anger, frustration, confusion. He was losing one of his best friends; all because of the unknown Tooga.
"Yes. That is their wish."
"Did they say why?"
"No, no reason was given. But it is their command, and I suggest that you comply."
"I will."
"There's one last thing I will warn you, though."
"Hmm?" Roku faced The Communicator.
"Remember you're duty as the Guardian of the other Haibane. Do not ever let your guard down. Do not let any harm come to any of them. You are the only one who has the power… the stopping power. Live by this rule."
Roku's eyes swelled, filling with salty tears. "I will."
"Roku," The Communicator rose, having Roku stand as well, "Do not forget your duty. Do this, and you will become a great asset to the Haibane; to Glie."
The Communicator gave Roku a deep warm hug; as though he were hugging his child. Roku returned the embrace, just as he would if The Communicator were his father.
It was good bye, even though none of them were leaving.
(PC)…
the next day
After a long hard, and cold, day's work, I rode home at a casual pace. Kana was pulling overtime at the Clock smith's, for reasons only they know, so there was no rush to get home.
Everyone and everything around me had an unusual aura about it. It was clam, almost sincere, and it creeped the hell out of me.
"Like the calm before a storm…" I said to nobody in particular, as I left the paved roads and entered the outskirts of town.
As I passed a small bridge, the sight of the crossroads that led to the Temple reminded me of what The Communicator told me the day before. I was still a bit sad at the fact that we could no longer act casually in each other's presence. And even though it's not likely that I'll ever set foot in there again, it'll be hard for me to remember that I can't just go up to him during the Tooga's visit and say "hi".
I sped past the crossroad, not wanting to dell upon the past.
later
At around four o'clock when Kana and I were taking a late afternoon nap together, when Nemu came bursting in like a bat out of hell.
"Roku! Come quick!" She yelled, pulling the blanket off of us. "Hurry up!"
"Whaaaat!" I growled, slowly getting out of bed.
"Come on!" She tossed me a pair of my jeans and my trench coat, "No time to explain! Get dressed!"
"You know…" I said while yawning, "While I putting these on, you could save some time and tell me what the hells going on…" I shook Kana awake.
"Hikari hasn't come home!" She frantically jumped up and down, "And I heard that Dante's missing as well!"
"What!" I quickly retrieved my revolver and pocketed it into my trench coat. "When did this happen! Why didn't you tell me sooner!"
"I just got news of it right now!
"Son of a bitch!"
(PC)…
It seemed as though the entire male population of Glie was out and about, away from the town itself, searching for the missing Haibane and the wanted criminal. There were search hounds, uniformed officials, farmers, worried fathers; all anxious to get the sexual offender back in his place.
Roku was probably to most adamant of the search party. He didn't really care about Dante anymore; all he was searching for was Hikari. He felt that if anything were to happen to her, he would fail as a Haibane.
As the sun began to set over the western horizon, Roku, in a desperate attempt to find his missing "sister", broke away from the search party, going off the beaten paths of the forests, and entering a small clearing several hundred yards away from where he had gone astray from the rest of the group.
He leaned against a tree, studying the small, white field before him. Only the sound of dogs barking in the distance, and his own deep breaths broke the silence.
Then, he heard a shuffling noise not too far from where he stood.
"Hello?" He called out, "Hikari?"
The muffled sound became louder as he stepped closer. Soon, the sounds were given a "face"; a small lump of snow in the middle of the field.
Roku started running toward the pile of snow.
"Hikari!" He yelled.
"DON'T MOVE!" To Roku's surprise, the pile of snow yelled back.
"What?" Roku stopped in his tracks.
"Don't… move…" It growled. Slowly the pile stood up, revealing, to Roku's horror, Dante, holding a lifeless Hikari in his arms. Dante himself looked beaten and worn. His beard was shaggy and unkept, his hair poked out from underneath his black beanie, and his eyes were as red as the blood dripping from his nose.
"What'd you do to her!" Roku demanded an answer.
"Damn you…" Dante ignored his question, "I could have had her… but nooo… you had to come waltzing in here…"
Roku noticed the blood trickling down Hikari's forehead. Upon closer inspection, a small lump began to form near the origin of the blood trail.
"You BASTARD!" Roku reached into his coat and drew his revolver, "You hit her! How could you!"
"Simple…" Dante slowly bent over and picked up a rock, "Like this!" He swung the rock toward Hikari's face.
"SON OF A BITCH!" Roku pulled the trigger of his revolver. His aim couldn't have been more perfect. The copper coated, lead slug flew as straight as an arrow into it's intended target: Dante's head. Both Dante and Hikari fell onto the snow, making a crunch sound.
Roku threw his revolver to his side and ran to recover Hikari, who was covered in a bloody mess.
Within seconds, he was surrounded by members of the search party, curious as to what the loud explosion was. They all gasped in horror at the ghastly sight before them. A few feet from where Roku sat with Hikari in his arms, was Dante's corpse lying on top of a pile of iced blood.
Several of the men asked Roku what had happened, but he sat there quietly, cradling the injured Hikari. As doctors arrived, they pried Roku's arms away from her limp body and onto a stretcher, where she was immediately rushed to the town hospital.
the next day
(PC)…
I couldn't sleep the night before.
In the back of my head, I kept repeating to myself that I had failed as a Haibane. I let one of my own become harmed. Even though the doctor that came to inform us of Hikari's status said that the damage was minimal, and that she would be able to come home tonight, I was still devastated.
Gordon and Maggie stopped by in the morning to apologize for what Dante did, and to forgive what I had done to their son.
"He brought it upon himself…" Gordon said, trying to hide the mourning of his son, "You did what yuou had to, Roku. I'm… glad that you were there to stop him before anything else happened…"
(PC)…
Shortly after twelve noon, Kana came into Roku's room, carrying with her a slip of paper. She walked over to the dining table where he sat and set the sheet before him.
"It's…" She started, "It's from the Renmei…"
Roku read the message out loud:
"FEATHER ROKU,
YOU ARE SUMMONED TO THE TEMPLE IMMEDIATELY. BRING WITH YOU ALL YOUR PERSONAL BELONGINGS."
"Nice…" Roku said sarcastically. He turned away from Kana, hiding something to himself.
"What do you think they want?" She asked. She tried to forced him to turn around by pulling on his shoulder.
"I don't know…" He said, getting up from the chair. He looked back at Kana with deep concern. He slowly turned toward her, and exposed his right arm. Kana gasped at the sight before her: Black veins were forming on his arm, slowly spreading out, throbbing as it moved.
"I…" Kana didn't know what to say.
"I think…" Roku began, "I think… this is…my punishment…."
"No…" Kana shook her head, "Don't go!"
"You know I have too…"
"No!" She cried, "Today's you're birthday! We're supposed to go visit Hikari at the hospital! I heard she's awake already! Rakka and I baked a cake! Nemu even decorated the dining room! You can't go now!" She fooled herself, knowing full well that the inevitable was unavoidable.
"You know I have too…" Roku said, embracing the crying girl, "Goodbye, Kana…"
at the haibane renmei temple
Roku had on his back, a back pack full of clothes, several books that he had bought, his revolver and holster, the box of ammunition. He wore his usual gray longsleeve, brown plaid dress shirt, black jeans, white shoes, and black beanie. Around his neck was the silver necklace and the blue cube that the Tooga had given him. In his front pocket was his cigarettes and his lighter. And in his back pocket was Kana's pocket watch, which she had given to him as a birthday present.
With leather strapped bells on his wings, and a stern face, Roku approached The Communicator. The mutual feeling of warm friendship was gone. This was clearly business.
"Feather Roku." The Communicator said, "Do you know why you have been summoned?"
He raised his right wing, to indicate the answer "yes". He assumed that he was to be executed for killing a man.
"I think not." The Communicator said, "Follow me."
They entered through a small cavern near where the gazebo was located. Every few feet, torches were lit and strung along the walls of the stone cavern. The winding hall gave the impression that they were inside the belly of a gigantic snake. Several dozen twists and turns and flights of stairs later, the two of them reached a literal hole in the wall.
"Enter." The Communicator commanded.
With a bit of an effort, Roku squeezed into the hole and out the other side. Behind him followed the Communicator.
To Roku's surprise, the room that they had entered was lavishly decorated with various pictures and pictographs on the walls. The pictographs looked immensely complicated, so Roku didn't even try to decipher them. It seemed as though the room was split in half. The left side contained colorful paintings of fields, tables full of food, and other exciting looking things. The right however, was nothing but black paintings of people, dressed in elaborate gowns and uniforms. Directly ahead were two holes carved into the wall, toward the left, and the other toward the right. The holes couldn't have been much bigger than Roku's own head.
"Place your revolver and box of ammunition into the hole on the left side." The Communicator ordered.
Roku set his bag down and began digging, retrieving his weapon, and the box. He then crept over to the hole, and placed the items inside.
"Now…" The Communicator said, "Placed the blue cube you acquired from the Tooga into the hole on the right."
Roku took the small cube that hung around his neck and placed it into the hole. He then walked back to The Communicator and stood by his side.
"Roku." The Communicator said, "These items are a symbol of your life. The Revolver is a familiar item from your past. You are most comfortable around it, and yet, you hate having to bear the burden of carrying it with you. The cube, however, represents your future. Now matter how many times you look at it or admire its appearance, it's still unknown as to what it contains."
Roku kept a straight face.
"Choose, Feather Roku. I cannot guarantee where you will end up. You have been to many places in the past, and whichever one is cherished to you the most is where you will go. That however is a question that only you can provide the answer for. And it goes without saying that the future holds no bounds. Choose, Roku. You cannot stay in the current state that you are in."
Roku looked at his own right arm. His hands were now fully covered in the black veins.
"They will consume your entire body within the hour."
(PC)…
One hour to choose my fate.
As my life in Glie flashed before my eyes, I realized exactly what I had to do. There was no way I was choosing the past over the future. This was my home. This is where I began life anew. The town of Glie was my future.
I walked over to the hole on the right, trying to get a peek inside before I reached it. I took a deep breath, still uneasy about the whole situation.
"A choice must be made, Roku." The Communicator reminded me.
I cleared my throat, and after a bit of hesitation, I spoke, "It's not good to dwell in the past…"
I reached into the hole, and instantly, I was surrounded by a blinding white light…
(PC)…
months later
Glie was once again abuzz with activity. It was the start of another summer harvest festival, and everyone was preparing for the arrival of new goods to be shipped by the Tooga. The residents of Old Home were no exception.
"Come on!" Nemu yelled to the others, "Here they come!"
As soon as she finished shouting, the crowd around her fell silent, knowing full well that it was taboo to speak in the Tooga's presence.
A tent was pitched a dozen yards to the left of the town gate. Two Renmei stood guard at the entrance to the tent, indicating that The Communicator was inside.
The girls gazed in awe, much like everyone else, as the gates of Glie opened. A wall of solemn and cloaked people were revealed, waiting for the gates to fully open before making their entrance. As the last of the Tooga filed in, the gates were once again closed.
A gong sounded, and immediately, everyone's attention shifted to the left, and at the tent of The Communicator.
The girls tried to keep as quiet as possible. Rakka and Hikari held their mouths closed with their hands, while Nemu had to cover Kana's with all of her strength.
The sight before them was the biggest shock of their lives.
It was the one armed Communicator.
THE END
disclaimer: with the exception of Roku, Gordon, Magdalene, Naota, The town Mayor and the names "Horton" for the old clothes dealer, and "Dante" for the assistant baker, 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, if you wish to paste this onto your site, please ask permission first and give credit where credit's due.