Do you think a person really dies when they're dead?
Not really so,
Let me show you a fond memory of said.
They say the dead won't be found, can't break the spiritual seams!
But the only way to find them is a place in my dreams.
P #1
Sometimes, if not late at night, I dream of strange things. Things that aren't apart of this world! Do you have dreams like this? You do? Oh good! I was starting to think that I was a little peculiar than most.
Then again, most story tellers and yarn weavers are all a little unusual; crazy would be the proper word to describe as such! But a good Chronicler needs to be a little crazy to tell stories. We have world's trapped in our heads after all!
But some dreams are a little more traumatising than most. When you wake up, you feel like a different person. You wonder why your brain would come up with something so realistic and confronting as that dream you had dreamed not seconds ago!
Then you tell yourself that the human mind is an amazing thing. It wouldn't be right if your brain didn't go on a loop now and then!
I'm sorry, my friends. But those dreams are the work of something beyond you.
And sometimes when you wake up you really are someone else.
"I still can't believe they went to go explore the ship." Ayano stated warily. Leorio shrugged himself into his shirt and grumbled in agreement while Kurapika heaved a great sigh, mainly because of the Gon and Killua's tireless energy.
Chairman Netero had welcomed the remaining 43 applicants onto his blimp, stating that the airship would drop them off at the Third Phase by tomorrow morning at 8. His secretary Beans, a little green man with no nose and a tuxedo, offered them dinner in the hall and large rooms for rest. Ayano was more than willing to take up the offer of free food and sleep! She hadn't had proper nourishment in several weeks and sleep was evasive due to her nightly habits.
"However, I do have one concern..." Kurapika murmured to the two of them as they made their way to the assigned sleeping chambers. The other two cocked their heads to show interest as the blond went on. "How many more phases are there?" Leorio seemed taken aback by this question and he paused.
"Oh! They never mentioned that, did they?" He mused. Footsteps were heard from behind and the trio turned around. Ayano had to physically stop herself from sneering; looks like Tonpa the Fatty decided to make an appearance!
"On average, there are five to six Phases!" The fat man informed them, a pleasant smile on his chubby face. Leorio frowned thoughtfully as he did the math. "Which means we still have three or four to go..." Kurapika hummed at this new information. "All the more reason to get rest now." He stated. The other two nodded dutifully and together they began to walk away.
"But you should be careful."
All three stopped at the tone in Tonpa's voice. Leorio glanced back at the fat man and Tonpa continued. "The secretary only told us when we'd arrive at our destination. It's possible that the Third Exam could take place on the airship itself! And it doesn't mean that we'll be contacted at 8 AM." He explained.
Leorio looked panic-stricken. "What? You can't be serious." He scoffed. Kurapika placed a hand to his chin. "That does make more sense..." He reasoned.
"You might wake up to discover that the Exam has already ended." Tonpa carried on. "If you plan to make it to the next Phase, don't let yourself relax on the airship." Leorio huffed softly to himself and rolled his eyes.
"You've got to be kidding me." He complained. "Well, that was some good advice!" He raised a hand in passing and Kurapika turned to follow him. "We will bear it in mind, thank you Tonpa-san." Ayano let them brush past her as she calculated the fat man before her.
She hadn't said a thing to contribute but she could read Tonpa's body language like a hawk, no joke intended. His lidded eyes, the angle of his feet, the way he kept clasping and un-clasping his hands while he talked. This bastard was up to something!
"Hey, Tonpa-san?" She hummed softly. The fat man seemed to register her presence and his lips curled unhappily. "Ah it's you. Why don't you go follow your little friends?" He shooed with his hands to emphasise the point.
Ayano finally let her distainful hatred show. She must have looked a sight already, with her greasy unwashed hair, oily pale skin and unhealthy, tired look in her eyes. But the obvious baring of her teeth in a vicious, animalistic snarl topped it all off with a dash of crazy. "A little bit of advice for you, Tonpa-san." She said lightly. "Applicants will do anything to pass, and that means anonymous killings. It would be a shame if YOU fell asleep and the next thing you know..."
She left her sentence unfinished and watched Tonpa's leering sneer falter slightly. Leaning forward a tad more she transformed her snarl into a smile. "I wonder how difficult it would be to shove you off the edge of this blimp. Thank goodness you put on so much weight!"
With that she turned and entered the room, seeking out Kurapika and Leorio. That would keep Tonpa off their backsides for a while! She just needed to scare him away each time he approached, even if he always got the courage to come up to them again.
Leorio was already propped up against the wall asleep! He didn't even try to make himself comfortable. Kurapika was leaning against the wall as well, a deep thoughtful look on his face. "Kurapika-san." Ayano called softly. The blond looked up and smiled slightly. "Ah. Ayano-chan, there is some space over here." He gestured to a place next to him and she approached carefully.
"You have that strange look again." She commented as she slid down the wall, plopping next to him. Kurapika stared at her in a weird way and she sighed. "I've noticed that your eyes are darker every time you're thinking about something." She told him. The Kurta shook his head and rubbed his face tiredly. "You're observant, aren't you?" He shot back defensively. "You don't speak often, but when you do it's merely insightful to the situation at hand."
Ayano shrugged. "I don't have much to say, really." She paused for a moment and leaned her head back. "But I'll tell you something that will put your mind at ease. The next Phase won't happen on this airship and I'm certain of that much." Kurapika raised an eyebrow as if to say 'I won't believe it until you back it up with some valid point'.
She scoffed, irritated. "You need everything in bullet points and quick summaries, don't you? Alright, I'll tell you why. Did the Chairman introduce another Examiner? He didn't. We haven't seen anyone that could resemble an Examiner except for the ones we've already seen. And don't forget that the previous Examiner needs rest and food as well. Besides, why would they state a time if they were to have it in the Airship, It'd be pointless information to give out."
Ayano glanced at the blond sitting next to her. "Is that good enough for you?" Kurapika sat still for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, it sounds reasonable. I apologise for how I responded, I think I'm too tired to function properly." He shot her a half-smile before shifting closer to Leorio. "I think we should get some rest. You can lean on me if you want." Ayano wrinkled her nose at the prospect of sleep. Should she try, even though she knew it would be useless? "Thanks." She said. Kurapika leaned against Leorio and Ayano did the same on his shoulder. Feverishly she shut her eyes and begged for sleep to visit her.
It took her a while. Her mind was so tired that she was stimulated with energy. She was so used to staying up at night in her nest of blankets, torn music sheets, scrappy drawing and origami stars, staring up at the sky and its twinkling diamonds! She was also used to sleeping alone with no one by her side.
Kurapika's body rose and fell in a steady rhythm against her head and Leorio's snoring kept in time with the hum of the Airship's engine. The heat of the room greatly contrasted with the cold nights outside, and the warm bodies around her were better than the celestial bodies in the sky or the coo of the Nightjar.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the paranoid girl drifted off into a restless sleep.
Up on a hill, somewhere near the sea,
Sit three little birds in a waxen tree,
A bluebird, a thrush, a chickadee,
Three little birds in a waxen tree
A soft giggle and the clapping of hands followed a bright youthful voice in a meadow. Two little girls sat across from each other, innocence in their large eyes as they clapped and sang together! A little girl with mousy brown hair bobbed up and down to her own little song that she was singing, her eyes as round as sea-shells and skin kissed fondly by the Kakusean sun.
The other was a frail glass of water, thinning rosy cheeks framed by a mass of soft, bouncy golden locks and wonderfully big eyes! These eyes, the colour and hue of the ocean on a warm spring day, gazed in awe at the girl across from her.
Three little birds, feather wings free,
Singing at the top of a waxen tree
A chirp, a tweet, a chip-chip chee
Three little birds in a waxen tree
Chip-chip chee,
Thrum, tip, three
Singing in their nest in the waxen tree
"Ne ne, Yano-chan!" The golden haired girl said with her childish lisp. The mousy youth tilted her head and signed to her. "Yes, Kale?" She communicated. Kale was silent for a moment and the wind flattened her hair against her head. The plants around them rolled in waves as the wind tossed them about; the fresh, flowery smells of larkspur and heather encircled the two in fine, glowing memories! Bee's lazily drifted in the air and high above a lone valley heron rode the currents of the sky.
Kale began to sing, her voice carrying the tune of the song Ayano had composed for them. But something felt wrong about it; the tune was eerie and melancholy. The words were different and a sudden chill travelled down Ayano's back as Kale sang unwaveringly a new verse to their childhood song.
Blue bird, blue bird, caught in the wind,
Getting lost in the dunes,
Can we find him again?
Little thrush, little thrush, riding the storm,
Salt water in her eyes,
And her gentle wings torn!
Chickadee, chickadee, the tables have turned!
The wax is melting,
Your feathers have burned!
Kale's ocean eyes were cold, the light snuffed out as darkness rolled over the valley. Ice danced across the ground and coated the wildflowers and reeds, nipping at Ayano's little bare feet. "Kale! What are you-?" The young girl choked on her words as Kale's eyes rolled back. Nothing but her whites and the tiny, minuscule veins could be seen! White, milky paste dribbled out of her mouth as some unknown thing seized the little duckling up onto her two feet.
"Ne, Yano-chan." She whispered. "You burned my feathers." Slowly the skin on Kale began to peel away into nothing but burning embers! Ayano sobbed into her hand as her friend burned away, setting the field alight with her dying flame, the flowers melting and the sky turning black with foul-smelling smoke.
All alone.
Little Ayano sat sobbing in the blackened meadow, the ground hardened by the heat of the flames that her dear friend had left. Ash hung in the air like snow, dusting the little girls hair with things she wanted so dearly to forget about! There was nothing; not a blade of grass or a flower head. The sky was grey with misery and she was alone. So utterly alone.
"Ne, Yano-chan." Kale's cold voice floated, mimicking the ash. "Why didn't you save me?"
Ayano sobbed harder and smashed her fist into the ground repeatedly. "IT HURTS ME, KALE!" She warbled as hot tears streamed down her face. She continued to punch the ground, making her knuckles bleed and bruise. "Kale I wanted to save you! I just-" she coughed on her own tears. "I never loved anything so dearly as I loved you."
"You didn't love me enough. You are still alive, Yano-chan! You're still alive! How? Why?"
Ayano shook her head. She didn't know. The mediation? She didn't know! She didn't know everything! "Kale please stop!" A begging wail tore from her throat, ragged and pained as her words floated into the still air. "I don't know what to do! What do you want from me?"
The scenery changed. She was laying against Kurapika and Leorio, but this time everything was if she was looking through a slot in a vending machine. Everything was blended and twisted, and yet she knew what she was looking at!
Images flashed through her mind.
She was walking out of the room.
Someone bumped into her. She punched him hard and sent him reeling!
She had started a fight with a stranger. "Bet you can't beat me, wise guy!" She challenged in a snide manner.
She ended up locking him in a nearby room. He wouldn't be coming out for the next Phase anytime soon!
More images. More scenarios.
And suddenly everything was black. Not a single sound was heard. Nothing! Except for a little girls voice chanting words in her head.
Up on a hill, somewhere near the sea,
Sit's the lonely remains of a waxen tree,
The Blue-bird, Thrush and Chickadee
Have mysteriously left the waxen tree!
Three little birds, no longer with me,
Far far away from the waxen tree
No chirp, no tweet, no chip-chip chee
Can be heard from the tops of the waxen tree
Ayano jolted awake, the area under her eyes sticky from tears. It took her a moment to figure where she was before she rubbed her eyes furiously, making soft, wet sounds from all of the tears she had been crying.
Of course. Another bad dream. But this one was definitely an odd ball of sorts! She hadn't dreamed of Kale since she had left Kakuse Island; most of her dreams were always the same, with Kale's death on some hellish loop in her brain.
When had those lyrics ever fit with the childhood ballad she had created? It was strange. A little too strange! Her left hand stung Ayano glanced down at it. Her knuckles were rubbed raw and bleeding, purple bruises sitting comfortably in between the bones. Ah! There was the physical proof of her dreams!
"Somethings off." The girl whispered to herself. "There was something else."
The other part of the dream. She had gotten up and fought someone. Maybe it was a side affect from her earlier squabble with Tonpa? The mind is a curious thing!
Brushing it aside, Ayano glanced to see that Leorio and Kurapika were still out cold! Huh. The girl smiled slightly. Despite her commotion they were still asleep A tinge of fondness crept up on her and she moved closer to Kurapika's shoulder.
Something sharp and jagged cut into the right palm of her hand and Ayano hissed, jumping! Leisurely she lifted her hand and observed the metal screw lodged in her hand. Well then! This airship must be falling apart. She removed it without flinching and turned to look at the opposite wall.
A horrible scream tore from her throat and she stifled it with her hand. No. No no no! She...it...this couldn't be happening. It was only a dream! Just a dream!
But the more she looked at the writing on the wall and the blunted screw her hand, the more Ayano began to realise that her problems were showing themselves clearly. On the opposite wall, furiously carved deep into the metal by eager hands, was one little phrase.
'Ayano-chan'.
It was her. The little beast inside of her head that did it! She knew now that the 'waking up' part of her dream had come true. Had The Voice Inside Her Head really been that triggered by her dream to get up and go beat the crap out of somebody? Ayano desperately hoped that no one had seen her in that state!
Her throat convulsed in silent fear as she buried her face into her hands. She was terrified. Terrified of the creature inside of her that couldn't save Kale. Terrified of what The Voice could do to the people she had met at the Hunter's Exam!
Ayano raised her head slightly and looked at the two next to her. If she woke them up and told them, would they comfort her? Would they hold her and smile at her and tell her not to be so utterly scared of herself?
No.
There was no one that could protect her from herself. Nobody!
Silently crying, she scooted closer to Kurapika and hopes that the presence of another person would comfort her. She rested her head against his shoulder and curled close, listening to the snores of Leorio and the blond boy's slow breathing.
She didn't fall back asleep that night. The only thing she did was sit still, try to breath and count the spaces between Leorio's snores and Kurapika's short breathes of air.
Ayano did this all night. She was too frantic to do anything else!
She did this until they woke up to the rising sun.