I dream of her again. Her golden hair hides her face. She holds her yellow flower in both hands. I move to reach out to her, but a sound stops me.
It's the sound of laughter. I turn and see two small children, one with skin as white as snow, the other with skin like mine, dark. The dark one playfully throws a fistful of red flowers in the other girl's face and laughs gleefully. The white girl bursts into tears and lunges at the other, tearing at her dark curls with tiny fists.
"Die! Die!" she screeches, and suddenly the voice shifts, becomes that of a young woman. The images of the two children disappear like a candle being blown out, and it's Leiko standing before me, long fingers twitching round her yellow flower.
"Die! Die with me!" she wails from behind the curtain of hair, her body completely still except for her twitching fingers. "Die with me Jo! Jo! Jo!"
She repeats my name over and over again, a horrible sound, like nails scratching at a blackboard. I put my hands over my ears and scream at her to shut the hell up, just shut up!
"Leave me alone!" I screech, stretching out the 'o' in alone until my voice cracks. And then...finally...there's silence.
A yellow petal falls into an abyss. Then I blink and it's the sun cut diagonally by a branch.
I'm awake. The corners of the sky are filled with black clouds, but for now it's a peaceful blue. A black bird flies across it, its strange cry filling me with a strange emptiness.
"Did you sleep well...human?" breathes the tree.
I jump at the voice, having momentarily forgetting about him. The eye stares at me; it's not as disturbing in the daylight.
"No...not really." I say, slowly sitting up. I curl up so my elbows are on my knees and rest my forehead on my palms. "Stupid dreams..." I mutter to myself, rubbing my eyes.
After a short silence I lift my head. For miles all around all I can see are tree tops, their leaves fluttering with the slight wind, and further out, mountains.
"Is there any civilization here at all?" I wonder aloud.
"Beyond those mountains..." says the great tree. "Are several cities and villages..."
I nod. "Any chance of seeing any human there?" my voice is weak, small. I bite my lip, wishing I hadn't said anything.
He shakes his branches. "No...no human survives there..."
My heart sinks. My head says, What did you expect?
I stand up and reach for a dangling fruit, green in the daylight. I bite into it with slight hesitation – it still tastes disgusting, but at least it's food.
"So...where's this Bloody Garden?" I ask between bites, licking the juices off my fingers.
"Not far from here..." he says, then glances at me. "For a demon..." he adds. I roll my eyes. "If you head north, you'll find a glade full of flowers...the entrance is there."
"Kay." I finish the last of my fruit and ask if I can take a few more for the journey.
"Of course..." he sighs. "And if you need something to carry it...there's a sack hanging on one of my branches below."
It takes me several minutes to fetch the bag and fill it with fruit. It's old and has a few holes in it, but it's better than nothing. I consider putting my letter in there as well, but what if it slips out? Besides, if I pull it out the tree might ask me questions.
I swing the the bag round my shoulder and prepare to leave. But before I do, I have to ask him something.
"Tree..." I start.
"My name...is Takeo." he sighs.
"Takeo...why do you want the stone in the first place?" I ask, leaning against his trunk.
He lets out a shuddering sigh. "It is rumored to have special powers...that is all I know."
"And if I come back with it...you'll send me home right?" I press on. "I really miss home."
He sends the branches shaking again for a nod. "I promise..."
"Thank you."
And with that, I slowly climb down until I reach the forest floor.
I've only been on the ground once in my time here, and that was when I first woke up. There are strange plants and bushes everywhere, and even stranger insects. Once I see what looks like a large centipede scurry past my foot, leading behind a stream of stinking fluid. I screech – I'm terrified of insects – but it leaves me alone. Still, after that, every sound I hear makes me jump.
Surprisingly that's are my worst encounter. I come across no actual demons. It's quieter here. There are only the strange sounds of birds and the occasional rustle of leaves. It makes me uneasy, all this silence. Where's the screams and roars of the beasts I'm used to hearing?
Above the sky is still a bright blue, almost as blue as the sky back home. Only it's darker, more saturated. I keep an eye out for the dark clouds I saw earlier. I'm in no mood to be caught in a sudden downpour.
Finally I reach the glade Takeo spoke of. Its sweet flowery smell surprises me. The flowers here are unlike the ones from home. They're like violet sunflowers. I start to bend over one to pick it, but then I stop. Last time I bent over to pick a flower, I fell through a hole and landed up here.
I look around for the entrance, but there's only flowers and knee-length pale grass. I walk around, careful not to destroy any of the beautiful plants. And then I see it. There's a wall of rock on the other side, and there's the opening to a tunnel, almost completely hidden by the flowing grass.
Stepping into it is like stepping into cold water. I shudder at the refreshing feel on my heated skin. I walk and walk, fingertips grazing the bumps in the wall. All I can hear are my footsteps and the occasional drip of water. The tunnel curves to the right and moves upward. The path becomes so steep at one point that I have to use my hands to climb up.
First I smell the garden – it's perfume is intoxicating – and then I'm suddenly in it, the sudden sunlight blinding me.
For a moment, I think that I'm home. It feels like home – like safety and comfort and stability, all rolled into a sweet, intoxicating scent – but then I really see the garden.
It's a beautiful sight; red and white flowers bloom everywhere, reaching up to kiss the dangling branches of great trees with fat, green leaves drooping from them. Vines travel up the rock wall behind me, some even reaching the ceiling. I stare at all the exotic plants, not entirely touched by their beauty.
Then I feel something cool and damp slithering against my bare ankle. I jump and glance down. It's a vine and it's slowly wrapping itself around my ankle. I scream and try to kick it off, but it only grabs on tighter. My other ankle is caught by another vine and suddenly I'm hoisted up in the air, my dark hair flowing onto the ground.
I take a deep breathe in an effort to calm myself and try to grab for the vines round my ankles, but my wrists are caught as well. I'm left open and exposed, my view of the garden flipped.
"A human...how interesting." says a cool, feminine voice. I see a pair of elegant shoes step into view.
I angle my head so I can see the person – I only catching a glimpse of fair hair and fox ears.
"Get me down please." I say, barely restraining my frustration.
"I'm sorry," he sounds genuinely apologetic. "I've planted them to ensnare intruders."
As he speaks the vines loosen their grip and I fall not so gracefully to the ground. With a pained groan I sit up and look at the demon.
He could be mistaken for a human, if he didn't have fox ears and a matching tail. It swishes lazily behind him as he openly contemplates me, his pale eyes flashing with curiosity. Those eyes are penetrating and for a moment all I can do is gape.
"You must be one of the last ones," he murmurs. "I wonder how you found my garden?"
"I asked for directions." I answer, being intentionally vague.
A small smile lifts his lips. "You must be very strong to have survived so long."
"Actually...that's why I'm here." I straighten up and look him in the eye. "I've come to ask for a strengthening potion."
"That potion," he says, "can only be made by a rare plant."
My shoulders droop. "You don't have it?"
"I do," he says quickly. "But I have only one. Tell me why I should waste it on you?"
"Please, I really need it." I say, close to begging.
He tilts his head to the side, studying my face. I suddenly feel ashamed and want to hide behind my hands. Here he is, standing in soft flowing robes, and here I am, my scarred face covered in dirt and probably acne, and my clothes in danger of falling off.
"It'll wear off after awhile, you do realize?" he finally says.
I nod. "I just need it for a little while."
"I'll consider brewing it for you...if you tell me what you're planning."
I chew on my lower lip, unsure. But with one look in those hard, steely eyes I know that if I lie, I'll face dire consequences.
"I need to find something," I begin. He urges me to continue and suddenly I'm telling him the entire story, beginning with Takeo the tree and ending with the fire demon Hiei and the necklace I'm supposed to steal.
When I finish he gives me a strange, mysterious smile, one delicate finger curled at his chin. "If it's Hiei you're looking for, you're in luck. I know where he is at the moment."
"You do?" I smile brightly.
"I'll give you directions later. Right now I have to work on that potion. You'll need it." he says, walking away. He gestures for me to follow.
"Thank you so much!" I bow deeply and follow him through the garden, unable to keep the smile off my face.
We reach the exit – a wooden door – when he stops me. He looks at me over his shoulder, his face kind, but his eyes fierce.
"I'll tell you now, I do expect payment for this."
I gulp, but can't bring myself to ask what payment he's expecting.
As we walk through Yoko Kurama's house of plants, he explains that the potion will take about a month to brew and that I'm welcome to stay until the it's ready.
I'm glad he offered, but I'm also nervous. What does he want from me?
But for tonight, I'm just glad to have an actual bed to sleep on. And a chance to take a bath. After a long day of traveling, I need something to relieve the stress.
"Ahh..." I lean back in the tub and close my eyes. Instantly I see her face, forever imprinted on the back of my eyelids. I snap my eyes open, but I can't get her memory out of my head.
So I submerge myself into the water and pull up, gasping for air.
Author's Note:
Well, there's your introduction to Yoko Kurama. You'll see more of him in the next chapter. Sorry if this is a bit long - I hope you enjoyed it.
Constructive criticism is gladly welcome!
Thanks for reading!