HAIBANE RENMEI:

DER

AUSFALL

DES

FLUGES

A fanfiction.

By

Micheal Gioe

(This is a Fanfiction, so I claim no ownership of the Haibane Renmei Title or any of it's original characters or names, except my own)

-- This is where the story picks up (hopefully)and you get to see some familiar faces, but still things are different. Thanks for your continued reading and reviewing!--

3 – Town Watch

Blood

Mystery

Eventually they reached the downstairs of the building. A few Haibane that Ren had never seen were mulling around, some sitting and talking with others, a few nibbling on bits of food. A few were against walls either crying or laughing. Ren didn't like this. She wanted to be back with her now-familiar group. She knew she probably couldn't go home, but at least she wanted to be in the company of friends.

"New Girl?" One of the male Haibane strolled past them and glanced at Ren, maybe with a glance that was a little too friendly.

"Yeah." Essen tugged on Ren's hand to get her to walk a bit faster.

All the Haibane here also had black wings, some had halos. The common room she was now in was tall, about three stories or so, and had little balconies branching off upstairs. On the ceiling, a gigantic mural of a waterfall produced a slight calming effect. Stylish looking chandeliers hung from high above, casting an orange light around the whole room.

"This place is nice." Ren mused, looking up and all around.

"I guess, but it I will give credit to Gesh. It does get kinda creepy here at night, especially in this room, and in the back hallways, 'cause no one really lives back there.

"I see what you mean." Ren nodded.

Finally they reached the double doors made of a deep red mahogony. Ren pulled the shiny silver handle, and the door swung open to let in a gust of damp, cold air.

The grey sky was the first thing that Ren saw. The dark land beneath was the next. As her eyes slowly adjusted, she was confronted with a rustic stone wall a little bit away.

"Is that the wall?" She asked, blinking slowly.

"No, that's just our wall that seperates our house from the rest of the town.

Now Ren could see an archway leading out of the little courtyard in front of the building. As they made their way out into the yard, Ren turned to look up at the house.

The house was old, for sure. It reached four stories up to the sky, and was paneled in old and peeling siding. Little windows every few feet either spewed dusky light or blank darkness. The house was wide as well, it looked like it went around on both sides.

"Does this house have an inner courtyard?" Ren asked.

"Yep. It's square with a hole in the middle, if you were to look at it from the top. No one really uses the inner courtyard, and the back sections of the house are mostly uninhabited."

They exited the shaggy courtyard and now Ren could see a distant patch of grey.

"That's the town, right?"

"Yep."

"What's it called?"

"Traurigkeit"

"Traurigkey?" Ren repeated.

"No, Traurigkeit." Essen corrected as they walked.

"Is it a big town?"

"I don't know. I don't know what to compare it to, I guess." Essen shrugged. "But I think it's pretty good sized."

"Where is the Haibane Renmei? In town?" Ren started dancing on her tiptoes trying to see the distant town better.

"No, it's on the outskirts of town."

"Oh." Ren looked around.

"Nobody really likes to go there, cause there's a graveyard nearby." Essen nodded.

"So where is it then?"

"See that?" Essen pointed to Ren's left.

Ren looked left, expecting to see some kind of stone temple. But she just saw flat grass and waving trees. But then, as she scanned the horizon, she saw a single black line rising up from the trees far away. As they walked on, it became more distinct.

"Is that it? That tower?" Ren squinted.

"Yeah. That's it."

They came to a crossroads. A sign read "HAIBANE RENMEI TEMPLE LEFT, TRAURIGKET STRAIGHT, UPHILL FARMLANDS RIGHT, OLD HOUSE BACK.

Standing like a silent sentinel at the intersection was a tall man in a uniform, his face hidden in shadow. Essen nudged Ren lightly in the side.

"Don't talk." She whispered roughly.

Ren nodded in acknowledgement as the man approached. He looked the two over and cleared his throat.

"Going somewhere, Haibane?" He looked down at them, his grey mustache dancing as he talked.

"Yes. To the Haibane Renmei Temple, sir." Essen bowed slightly and quickly.

"Of course you are." The man nodded. "Have a safe trip."

As they passed him, the man mumbled something.

"Who was that?" Ren whispered over to Essen.

"Community Watch, kinda like the police."

"He doesn't have wings or a halo."

"Nope. Townsfolk and Vermittler don't."

They walked on for a few minutes. Essen kept making sideways glances at Ren. When they had crossed a tiny bridge, Essen stopped Ren.

"Are you okay?" Essen narrowed her eyes a bit.

"Yes, sure. Why?" Ren nodded.

"You're walking funny."

"I am?"

"Yeah, like your back is hurt, or somethin."

Ren did wake up this morning with some back pain, but she had chalked it up to her new wings. But come to think of it, this pain was below her wings a bit.

"It might be." Ren carefully reached a hand around her back, gingerly prodding it. "Owch!" She yelped as a surge of pain ran up her back.

"Here, let me take a look." Essen spun Ren around.

Ren quickly turned around again, and took a step back from Essen.

"Sorry. Can I take a look, please?" Essen looked a bit impatient.

Ren nodded. Essen untied the back of the robe that Ren was still wearing from yesterday, even though it was caked in a substantial amount of dried blood.

"Holy crap." Essen mused.

"What? What is it?" Ren tried to see behind her.

"Your back's all torn up." Essen murmed quietly. "It's bleeding."

All down Ren's back ran two deep pink gashes from which a steady ooze of blood came. They appeared to be coming from her wings. Essen cautiously reached out a hand to touch one of the wounds. Ren quickly jumped with a squeak.

"Sorry" Essen mumbled flatly.

"Is it bad?" Ren panicked.

"I don't think so."

In truth, the wound didn't look like it ran through any major areas or places where mortal wounds would be found. Essen wasn't sure why she knew this, but she could care less at the moment.

"It's not your wings, I don't think." Essen mumbled.

"What? Are they falling out?" Ren's head snapped as far back as it could to find Essen.

"Huh?" Essen grinned. "Naw, you've only been here two days, don't worry."

"Are we still going to the tower?"

"I guess. Think you can make it?" Essen sighed and looked around.

"I have to, don't I?" Ren tried to stand.

Ren ambled her way on to the tower. As they drew closer, she could see it was made of cold dark stone that hosted a slit window every ten feet across. The tower went up as far as Ren could see. Outside the tower milled some strange looking men clothed in dull robes, their faces hidden by drooping hoods or masks. As the two girls approached, they stopped their work and stared. No one spoke a word.

"Who are these people?" Ren whispered to Essen.

"These are what we call the Vermittler."

"What does that mean?"

"It means Meddler, someone who sticks their noses places they don't belong."

"That is not their proper name." Boomed a deep voice.

"Shut up." Essen hissed and nudged Ren in the side. Hard.

The being from which the voice came slowly moved towards them. It was another man in disguise, his face hidden behind a mask with a hole in the middle, right in the center of the face. Ren wondered for a second how he saw with it in the middle like that. The man looked to be young, his posture was erect. Although, he did carry a slim cane with him, even though he carried it at his side. When he finally reached the two, he glanced at Essen for a moment, and then to Ren.

"You are the new Haibane at the Old House, correct?" His voice held a somewhat grandfatherly tone, slow and melodic.

Ren nodded. The man was quiet for a moment, and then he produced from his robes two little pieces of cloth. Tied to the cloth were tiny bells.

"You are to wear these to communicate when you are in or near the temple, understand?" The man held out his hand. "Ring the right bell for yes, the left for no, using your wings."

Just as Ren was about to take them, something hit the man's hand and the bells flew onto the ground. The man turned as quick as Ren did to see Essen with her hand in the air. The man made a low, quiet grunt and stared at Essen. Essen stared back.

"What are you doing?" The man's voice had lost it's grandfatherliness.

"Look at her back!" Essen pointed to Ren.

The man looked over at Ren. Ren could feel herself blush slightly, and she turned around. She heard another small grunt, but this was not an angry or surprised one.

"This injury is caused by the wings." The man declared, remaining motionless.

Ren's heart sank. She was going to lose her wings just a day after she got them! She'd be alone again in a world of strangers where all she had to fit in were her wings, however dark grey they may be.

"Tell me, young Haibane, what is your name? I permit you to speak"

The question seemed totally random in the face of the horrible news. Ren was close to tears but she decided to answer anyways.

"Brennen, sir." She nodded, her voice wavering.

"Feather Brennen, when you hatched from your Cacoon, how long was it before your wings grew?"

"Almost...immediately." Ren nodded again.

"I see." The man trailed off. "You, then, were hatched too late."

The man helped Ren into the temple while explaining. Essen had been instructed to wait outside.

"You were hatched only moments before your wings were to come. The fluid that fills the Cacoon acts as numbing solution, to cradle the individual and protect them as they grow inside of their Cacoons. The liquid on your body had not had time to dry completely yet, and thus your skin and nerves did not react as they should have when the wings came." The man stopped and looked over at Ren. "Tell me. Did you feel pain when your wings sprouted?"

A flash in Ren's mind showed her that dirty and dark kitchen which she had stumbled through.

"No...uhm...not at first, then I felt it a little bit after it started, I guess." Ren kept her eyes to the ground as she ambled on.

"Yes. The fluid wore off halfway through the process. Your body did not tell your skin to start healing the moment it started splitting to make room for the wings, and thus it was not able to fully heal when the wings had arrived."

"Is...is there something wrong with me?" Ren looked up at the man.

"No, it has happened before to many Haibane." The man shook his head.

"So Felson saved me." Ren thought out loud.

"Hm?" The man continued walking.

"This girl, Felson, she broke my Shell...erm...Cacoon."

"Who is Felson?" The man turned.

"Um, this girl in the Old House, she's tall, and has dark hair...and.." Ren trailed off.

"No Haibane named Felson has ever come to this place." The man turned away and continued walking.

--Woooh! Intrigue! Mystery! Halos! Wasn't it nice to see some familiar faces? er...masks? Read on, if you will!--

Again Again, please feel oh-so free to leave some Reviews and Comments, maybe questions? Happy to talk and interested to know what you think. Please read on!