Hi everyone! I'm back with a new chapter! :D I'm sorry that I haven't been updating earlier, but I've been a little busy with those last weeks in school and then I had to sew the cosplay I would have during a convention. ^^"
Heng shi: Yeah, yeah. You can say anything you want but we all know that it's just because you're plain lazy. You could have written a lot since you didn't have any homework left but instead of working on this one, you worked on a completely new idea you have. You seriously have to stop writing new fanfictions all the time and continue on the ones you're actually posting.
S-shut up! It's not easy you know! Once I have an idea, I have to write it down so I don't forget it, but once I start writing I can't stop!
Heng shi: Yeah, yeah, whatever. Can you let me out from the chair now?
No, not until you promise to be nice. And even if you say that you'll promise, I can't trust you. I know how you are and you'll use any opportunity to back-stab me.
Heng shi: Well, it was worth a try at least…
Alright, now you people go on and read the story, alright? ^^ Oh and read the end author note! I will ask you guys about the birthday chapter there! Enjoy~! :D
(Heng shi: She was really lazy when she corrected this chapter. That idiot wanted to post this as soon as possible.)
I'm lying in my bed at night, staring up at the roof in thought. I can't seem to settle down and sleep even if I put my game console on, this feeling that I'm forgetting something has kept on nagging me for the whole day. I can't remember that something special is happening today, tough. It's Sunday, May the 17th, but I can't figure out what I'm missing. I've shopped groceries and cleaned the house, taken out the trash and done all my homework that I had left to get my mind off that nagging feeling. But now that I'm about to go to sleep, I can't ignore that empty feeling anymore.
I sigh in annoyance as I sit up straight in my bed, my grey covers sliding off my bare chest to reveal the many scars adoring my torso. What is so special about today? What has happened in the past on this day? Does it have to do something with the organisation? I shouldn't care about that since I've been banned from Xian Hong, but something tells me that this matter is much more important than anything related to that organisation.
I groan loudly, ruffling my hair as if it can help me remember what I'm forgetting. Does it have anything to do with second life? No, that can't be it… Man, this is so frustrating! I sigh again and stand up from my bed; I'll never be able to sleep with this feeling nagging inside me. I might as well do an all-nighter and do something to keep me occupied. But the question is what… Maybe surfing on the internet will keep me awake.
I'm walking towards the school with my uniform on, my spiky hair in even more of a mess and tired bags under my eyes due to staying up the whole night. The bags aren't as dark as they were this morning since I drank a lot of coffee and washed my face many times, but it's still noticeable if you look at my face up close. I yawn loudly as I walk through the gates to the school ground, rubbing away the tired tears in the corner of my eyes and ignoring the stares I get from other students. I never did remember what it was that I forgot yesterday and now I feel really guilty for some reason. Though my ocarina seems to give me some comfort… I have choir today, so I'll play a little to ease my nerves then.
I greet all the students politely, my image intact even though I'm dead tired thanks to the caffeine in my body. I work through the first two lessons somehow without falling asleep and when it's time for choir, I walk towards the rooftop. Though, much to my surprise, I meet Jing in the corridor towards the stairs, her ever emotionless face intact. I frown in annoyance as the guilty feeling grows stronger, but I decide to ignore it for the time being so that I can face the bitch without any unnecessary trouble.
I remove my mask completely since there isn't anyone else in the corridor and stop right in front of Jing so that she has to move to walk past me. Jing look blankly at me, her red eyes looking down at my dark bags underneath my eyes for a split second before her gaze meet mine.
"Move." She says simply with authority in her voice, as if she can order me around and I'll follow any order she gives me. My frown grows deeper by her order and my hands are twitching to strangle her, but I hold back for now since I have an important question to ask her.
"Shut up. When is the next mission?"
Jing smirks slightly at my question, her eyes showing amusement as she replies.
"Your resemblance to canines becomes ever more obvious, Heng Ru Shi. You really must curb your enthusiasm lest it becomes more pronounced."
I growl in anger, my fists shaking even harder in anger since she can't even answer a simple question without humiliating me. This in turn makes Jing's smirk to grow larger.
"We're moving out in two days, the same time as the last time. Don't be late."
I grin widely at the thought of killing again and I begin to relax since it's such a short time left. I nod and is about to move by her when I suddenly freeze up when I start to realise something. Mother...
I look up towards Jing for a short second, it all suddenly dawning on me as to why I felt like I missed something yesterday. With one single thought in mind, I quickly turn around and begin to run towards the exit of the school. I forgot my mother's birthday! How stupid can I be?!
I have to take the bus to the cemetery where my mother is, it takes about 40 minutes and I'm sure the choir has ended by now. I'll skip the rest of the day, that isn't as important as my mother anyway. I walk on the familiar path that leads towards the cemetery, the scenery having changed throughout the years. The trees have grown larger, the church have gotten larger from being remodelled two times, there are more grave stones, there are more flowers, it all has changed so much that I can barely recognise it as the place where my mother is buried if it weren't for the fact that I come here every year and see everything change slowly.
My goal is the large tree that's in the middle of the cemetery, that's where my mother is. With a picture of my mother and my ocarina in my bag and a small bouquet of flowers in my hand, I'm prepared to celebrate my mother's birthday. I bought the bouquet on my way here since I know that she likes these flowers, they're her favourite. As I reach the base of the tree, I sit down on my knees to wipe away the dirt on the tree bark to reveal a text that's carved into the tree, the text being old and darkened by age but the last line being a little fresher than the others.
Layna Kong
1873-1913
A precious wife and mother
Died out of a deadly disease
(Cancer)
They didn't know what disease it was that she died of back then, but when I found out what it was, I risted it in myself. Even if they would've known what disease it was, they wouldn't be able to treat her in time with the technology they had. She would have died anyways. Standing in front of her grave one day late makes the guilty feeling inside me well up again. I can't believe that I forgot her birthday of all things…
I take off my backpack and put the purple lilies aside so that I can rummage through it in search for my mother's picture that I always carry with me. I take out my picture of her as well as my ocarina before I close the backpack again, putting it aside to my left for now. I lean the picture against the trees' roots underneath the text, placing the flowers in front of it and clap my hands in a traditional prayer. I pray silently first like I've always been told to do, but once that is done, I crawl over to the right of the photo to sit down on the grass and lean my back against the tree trunk while I look up towards the sky with a sheepish smile. I imagine my mother's smiling face in front of me as I start talking with my old fashioned speech I've always spoken with when my parents were alive. It's pure out of habit and it has never disappeared no matter how many years it has been.
"Greets mother. Sorry for coming one day late, I just don't believe it; I forgot your birthday of all things. But now that I am here, I wish you a happy birthday. I brought some of your favourite lilies; I didn't have enough bills last year but now that I do, I bought them this time even though they are a little late. It's unbelievable that it has been such a long time already… It feels blank when I think of how many years you and father have been gone…"
I close my eyes, a peaceful smile on my face as a small wind caress my cheek and plays with my hair. I look down towards the photo at my mother's smiling face, her blue eyes shining with health and happiness as she face the person looking at the picture.
"You always do that when I start speaking to you… Father too… Why are the two of you still present? Why aren't you moving on towards the other side? I think you two will feel swell if you do, then you could both be together. I will join you once I have bumped off all of them here."
A harsher wind twirl around me, almost making the flowers fly away but I quickly grab them before they do.
"Aight! Aight! Chill out! I just have your best interest in mind!"
The wind dies down, once again becoming a soft breeze and I breathe out in relief. I laugh slightly, a true laugh as I think back to how mom was when she was alive. I lean back on the tree trunk once again with the lilies in my hand and a fond smile on my face.
"No matter if you are alive or a spirit, you're still as freaky as always when you're angry. I remember one time when I asked if I could help you with the food in the kitchen instead of training, you were hella pissed when I balled up everything and you chased me out with a bunch of kitchen shives. I reckon I got my training after all."
The tree ruffles slightly above me, making a few leaves dangle down towards the ground. I look up towards the leaves, my smile growing into a grin as I laugh together with her. My mother and father have both different ways to express their feelings now that they're just spirits and can't touch me physically. Mother uses the wind and the tree to express different feelings while my father uses his own… special methods you could say.
I close my eyes while looking forward, shaking my head slightly at the thought of my father's way of expressing himself in spirit form.
"You and father have such different ways to express yourself in your spirit form. And I'm joyed that I made you laugh today, that hasn't occurred in a few years. I know you're blue about leaving me and dad, but you out of all janes should know that I'm a grown up man by now. Hell, I've been a big six about 13 times already, continuously repeating that growing up cycle time and time again. It's a drag but it's needed."
The wind blows through a hole in the tree which creates a small low-audible sound that's similar to the normal wailing sound the wind makes through a house when two windows are open. I smile brightly, opening my eyes again but this time staring into the ground.
"Please don't feel blue; it's not your fault. It was my decision to continue doing the cycle over and over since I still wanted to live in Xian Hong. I could have moved away and changed place when I had to if I wanted to avoid doing the cycle, but I didn't do that. So it's not necessary for you to feel sad about something I decided on back then. And I was planning to double-cross them at some point soon so now that Xian Hong has banned me by leaving me holding the bag, I can destroy it without having any second doubts. I'm quite certain that it was that sap Gin who gave away information to our enemies and then I became the fall guy for it. It's all good; it doesn't matter if I'm inside or outside the organisation."
Mother does the same thing again and I begin to get confused as to what she means. I sit there and think about it for a few minutes before I realise what she must mean and I decide to ask.
"Are you perhaps asking me why I wish to demolish the only thing I had close to a family for many years?" A soft wind strokes my cheek in confirmation; I smile in response and start to explain.
"It is true that I did consider them fairly similar to a family in the beginning, but I knew that I had to keep my distance so I never got as so close to them like the ones who I lived together with during my first cycle. I did see my friends' grandchildren grow up into someone who somewhat resembled them, but that doesn't mean that they're the same. And do you realise how corrupt the assassins have become now a days? Shnikies, even I have been affected by the corruption and that means it has a huge impact. But not in the same way as most people have been corrupted. They all reject their feelings and tell everyone that feelings make you weak. I do agree that feelings can be a drag if they can distract you from doing your job, but feelings are the things which make us who we are. Assassins aren't meant to be killing machines. No one knows that fact better than I do. I am the son of the one who started the first assassin's guild after all. That is why the assassin's society must be annihilated so that I can build it up to how it once was. Some assassins are taking out each other, which makes my job much easier. During this year, I have eliminated the rest of the organisations in India and France but I still have many organisations left until it is all cleaned up. Russia will be a drag since there are so many organisations there… And I still got… How many? 196 minus 75… 121 countries left including this one. Well, that's ducky… Now I feel like I have barely done any work at all. But Bloody rain got eliminated by a street gang some years ago without my intervention; I believe it was that piker organisation that pulled the strings to that event and I think I soon have to eliminate that one as well, they have started causing problems for me now. They are the most possible organisation who has started following me."
The wind blows through the tree hole again while it's ruffling the leaves in the tree; I recognise this as mother being confused. I raise an eyebrow while I'm placing my hands behind my head and look up towards the sky.
"Why are you're confused? I reckon that I already told you about all this… Is it that I'm the son of the one who created assassins? … No answer… Then I'm on the trolley. I suppose I must explain it to you again, please try to remember this time. This is how it is: father met you in that assassin's guild he would soon take over and calls Xian Hong, but before that he went back further in time to when the assassins would start appearing and he started the base for assassins there. That way, when he came back to you, you weren't as hurt as before since the assassin's code changed when father went back and your comrades didn't betray you when you were about to do the right thing. That way, they didn't try to kill you for it. He saved your life by creating the assassins. But, after father died and a pill man took his place, everything changed and more and more people forgot the true code for the assassins and the whole system changed. You don't know this because father told me about the incident after you died out of the disease. But I must ask, I told you about the incident five years ago, so have you forgotten about it or is your spirit starting to fade and forget memories? … No answer again? Then I'm on the trolley again. This is the reason why I'm telling you to move on, that way you won't disappear completely. You've been present for almost 390 years; it's too much for you. I will be fine, I promise. I won't feel lonely."
A strong wind rushes through the cemetery, strong but soft at the same time, I take this as a sign to leave and I place down the flowers in front of the tree roots. I carefully place the picture inside my backpack and stand up with my ocarina in hand to play the song I always play for her. As I'm about to play, I can see a cap is being blown my way and a small boy is running after it. My eyes widen when I recognise the face and hair of the boy. But I quickly compose myself as the red cap land next to my feet and I pick it up in fake curiosity. The boy run up to me, panting in exhaustion as he's looking up at me with innocent and slightly scared yellow eyes, shadowed slightly by his blue bangs. I hold up the cap in my left hand, the right one still holding onto my ocarina, and smile down at the boy. I have to stop speaking like an old man now, or else the boy will think I'm nuts.
"Is this yours?"
The boy nods tiredly, taking a few deep breaths before he starts talking innocently. He must be around 10 years old, maybe…
"Yeah, could I have it back, mister? That cap is very important to me."
I look at the cap in surprise, a sudden playful though coming to mind as I think what I can do in this situation to make things better in the future. I grin down at the boy with mischief shining in my eyes as I put the cap on my own head, it being a little too small for my head but it stays put at least.
"Really? Important in what way?"
The boy gets shocked when I put on his cap and he run towards me to try and grab me around my waist, but I easily step out of the way with my left hand holding the cap in place.
"P-please give that back! I-I got it from an important person!" He shouts out in embarrassment while still trying to chase after his precious cap as I continue to step away. I jump up high into the air, grab onto a sturdy branch and haul myself up into the tree with my feet dangling happily as I look down at the shocked boy.
"Really? Well, if it's so important, why don't you come up here and get it? It would be nice to have some company."
The boy gets nervous, looking around himself as if searching for something and he gets disappointed when he doesn't find what he's looking for. The boy then looks up towards me with a new resolve in his eyes, stomping angrily towards the tree trunk to prepare himself to climb up. I look down at him in amusement as he tries to climb up, but he always lose his footing and fall down again when he's about half way up. I decide that falling down four times is enough for him, or else he might lose his resolve to get his cap back. So when he's about to fall down for the fifth time, I reach out to him and command some invisible time energy to grab onto his hand and draw him towards my flesh one. The boy doesn't notice that the first hand wasn't a real one, so he smiles thankfully up at me once I've pulled him up to the branch that I'm standing on.
With a bright grin, I take off the boy's cap from my head and put it back where it belongs on his. I then point up towards two branches that are much higher up in the tree and barely visible behind all the other branches connected to the tree trunk. The boy looks up to where I'm pointing in curiosity, holding onto my arm to have better balance even though the branch we're standing on is pretty thick.
"Hey, now that you're up, let me show you a great place in this tree. I want another generation to pass it on to others."
The boy looks hesitantly between my bright grin and the braches near the top of the tree before mumbling softly, thinking that I can't hear him even though we're just a few inches apart.
"But it's so high up…"
"Who cares if it's high up?" The boy jumps slightly at my sudden excited exclamation; it's been a really long time since I spoke to anyone like this… "If it's high up, that means it's just another adventure to get there! The treasure will be even greater if you fight for it, so why not take a little risk to see something special? I'll be here to catch you if you fall, so don't worry. I always climbed a lot when I was a kid and I came here many times and know all the best ways so climb it!"
I imagine myself being my own dad as I speak his words, my grin growing even larger at the thought. I'm… I'm actually having fun… And not the killing fun either… I can't believe it… I-it's been so long…
The boy look at my grin for just a few seconds before he's completely convinced and he look up towards the branches with a strong resolve shining in his yellow eyes, the same resolve his eyes showed when he was about to climb up the tree in the beginning. We share an excited glance, both of us whooping loudly and we start to climb, me climbing after the kid. The kid trips a few times, but I always catch his before he can lose his footing completely. It takes about ten minutes before we reach the branches I pointed at, the green leaves surrounding us completely and making us bathe in shadows. The kid is panting hard in exhaustion while I'm simply standing there, grinning down at the kid as if I never climbed up in the first place.
The ten year old looks around him in search for something special and when he doesn't find anything, he looks up towards me expectantly, waiting for something to happen.
"Well, mister? What's the treasure?"
I smirk at how impatient he is and motion for him to sit down on the branch he's standing on, he does as I tell him to do and once he's seated, I lift up a branch which reveals a completely new view in front of us. The boy's eyes grow wide in awe at the sight and his smile grows as bright as the afternoon sun shining at us.
The scenery has changed a lot throughout the years, but at the same time, it's like it was way back then. You can see buildings tower up behind the trees that are placed in the park, the park grass around said trees being completely green and full of life. A single river is flowing through the green mat, giving life to the flowers around it. The stone bridge going over the river matches the pavement road that many people are walking on, but no one stops to look at the beautiful park except for a few people who are sitting on the park benches. The cemetery looks as beautiful as the park, but without the river and gravestones instead of flowers. The two completely different places melt into one from this tree; you can't see the big road running along beneath the hill the cemetery is standing on, you can only hear the sound of cars running by. The sound is familiar to that of a flowing river… Something the road was before it got dried up…
"Woah…" The boy says in awe, transfixed at how the two places melt into one and somehow creating something beautiful. I nod in agreement, looking at the people simply passing by the park without sparing it a glance.
"Yeah, and all those people are missing such an amazing place by just walking by. Up here you get a completely different view of things, a view you could've never imagined by yourself. I've been here a lot, sat in the exact same spot as you are now for years and just stared at the scenery for hours. I would come here during the day and just simply stare at it until the sun went down in the horizon, it makes you feel peaceful, don't you think?"
"Umhum." The boy hums in agreement.
"Hey, did you know? A long time ago, the park wasn't even there, and neither were the graves. It was simply a river flowing down a meadow full of all kinds of flowers with trees surrounding it. There wasn't even a town behind it back then, just trees as far the eye could see. There was also another river at the exact same place where the big road is right now, but it got dried up. But if you listen carefully, you can imagine that the sound of cars rushing by is that river, almost like the river lives on by the sound of the cars. Heh, of course I haven't seen it, I'm way too young to have seen it so far back, but my family have for generations come to this very tree to look at the scenery. And I've been told that if I can't pass this scenery on to my own children, I should show it to someone special, someone who's worthy of seeing this beauty. I have no idea why anyone hasn't thought about climbing this tree before; this is simply amazing what beauty the nature holds…"
"Yeah… But mister, why are you showing it to me? I'm nothing special…"
I grin down at the boy's crestfallen face and I bonk him lightly in the head as punishment for even thinking like that.
"Stupid, I can feel that you're something special. I knew it the moment I laid my eyes on you. You have a really bright future ahead of you and I'm sure it will be more successful than my life is. Besides, I feel like I can trust that you'll only bring your most precious persons to this tree. And then I don't mean your parents or friends, but someone you really can't live without. For example, your future girlfriend."
I laugh when the boy's face grows red at the mention of getting himself a girlfriend, and I look out towards the scenery again.
"My dad brought my mom here when they first met each other; he just felt that she was something special that he wouldn't be able to walk one day without. He didn't bring me here until I was five and able to climb for myself. So I'm sure you'll know when those precious persons come into your life, those persons who are worthy of sharing this scenery with you in the future."
A comfortable silence stretch between us as we simply stare at the scenery, but that moment breaks when I hear someone call out the boy's name.
"Zen! Zen Len! Where are you?!" The boy look over his shoulder towards the voices in surprise and he stumble to get up on his feet. I let go of the branch and let the scenery be covered up by the thick layer of leaves.
"That's your parents?" I ask him casually. The boy nod and struggle to climb down on his wobbly legs.
"Yeah, I have to go to them, they were just supposed to visit a grave and then we would leave. But when my cap blew away, I had to go and chase after it."
I nod and grab onto him under his arms, slinging the boy over my shoulder and making him shout out in surprise at my action.
"H-hey, mister? What are you doing?"
I start to jump down branch to branch while I reply to him as if it's nothing.
"I'm helping you down, what does it look like? You have to hurry to your elders, they sound pretty worried."
After a few jumps, the boy and I break away from the green surrounding of the tree. The boy shout out in surprise again since the distance between the ground and the branches is pretty high, but I easily cushion the fall by bending my legs when they touch the ground. When I put the boy on the ground, a grin grows on my face when I see him shaking in fear. Fear can never make me bored or worried it seems, no matter who they are… Damn, I've really changed throughout the years…
"Well, there ya go kid. Now hurry up and go to your parents."
The kid looks up at me wearily before he starts to smile and laugh, finally overcoming the fear and instead takes joy over his ride down over my shoulder.
"Yeah, thanks mister. You know, you're very poetic when it comes to scenery, did you know that?"
I huff in annoyance, a frown appearing on my face at his unintended insult.
"Of course I know that, but I'm not usually speaking about it out loud. And people don't usually find my kind of beauty imaginable; they just don't appreciate it like I do. And I've never showed anyone my special place in the tree. You're just a special case, kid."
The boy grins at me before he run towards his parent's voices while waving good bye towards me. I wave as well, but once he's out of sight, I drop my hand to my side and my smile disappears from my face. I look down to the ground, my bangs shadowing my eyes from view as I regard my mother.
"Level with me, you planned this? That's cruel of you…"
A soft breeze blow around me, giving me some comfort and easing up my nerves since mother tries to hug me. I sigh tiredly, scratching the back of my head with my left hand while holding up my ocarina in my right one. I haven't let go of it yet, even when we climbed up in the tree.
"I reckon I should play for you and then leave; there isn't much else I can do here. You have been waiting for me for a year now."
With the soft breeze still twirling around me, I take the nozzle of my ocarina to my mouth and place my left hand on the turning section. I then begin to play our song. The song isn't very much, but it has a beautiful and cheerful melody. * The wind dances along with the song, ruffling the trees and my clothes in happiness. I don't let it distract me but continue to play our song and imagining that mom is playing with me, me having my old ocarina while she uses the one I'm using.
When the song is done, I simply pick up my bag from the ground, sling it over my shoulder and walk away with my ocarina raised in the air as good bye. When I leave the tree, I can feel all the happiness and calm feelings be sucked away from my body and I once again gain a blank face like the one I wore when I was on my way here.
Yeah… I really do feel lonely when I visit my parents… All good emotions kind of appear inside of me when I'm around one of them but they disappear just as quickly when I leave... I always return to the hard, angry and bloodlust filled me when I leave… What made me change so damn much? I used to be so playful and carefree way back then…
I laugh bitterly when I think up of an answer and I stop briefly to look up into the sky with a crazed grin on my face. It's the world; it's this whole world that has changed me. I have sucked in all the wickedness I've been exposed to through all my years, sucked in the anger, hate and bloodlust the other assassins have pushed away from their existence. I only suck up the 'bad' emotions and it in turn have made me into a crazy, blood lusting killer who I've told myself to not become when I was young. Maybe it's getting worse for each year? I can't tell for sure since I can't really see the change for myself.
"You will pay…" I whisper, rolling my head down to the right my head almost leaning on my right shoulder. My shoulders are shaking in quiet laughter as my eyes slowly widen with a crazed look inside them.
"You'll all pay… All the wrong things the assassins have done have created me… I hate it… But I also love it… Extremely so…"
I start walking again, my bangs hiding my eyes from view as I continue talking to myself. I dig my left hand into my pants pocket, my right one clenching my ocarina lightly as if it can bring me some kind of comfort. But it doesn't help me at all…
"No assassin will get away from me. No organisation shall be left alive or intact. All needs to die. The code has been broken by all of them. I'm not how I used to be. It's their fault, all their fault. They need to die, they must die for the code to be redeemed. Because you pushed feelings away I sucked them up! Do you get it you bastards out there! I'm going to kill you all the same way you killed your emotions! I'm not going to let a single one of you escape! Haaaahahahahaha!"
*Spirited away: Always with me on STL Ocarina
Heng shi is so scary when he's mad like that… TT^TT
Heng shi: Whell, thank you. But why did you have to make the readers know all that? It's just meant for my mother, no one else!
Naw, is little Heng shi embarrassed?
Heng shi: -Growling in anger- Shut up!
Alright, alright, fine, sorry. But the readers have to know a little more about you, you can't stay a mystery forever. And they also had to see the personality you had before you got corrupted.
Heng shi: Well, you didn't have to show them that about the kid!
Oh, that reminds me, why do you think Heng shi treated the kid different? Leave a review with your thoughts please, I'm really curious! :D
Heng shi: Shut up about that, weren't you supposed to ask those bastards about the birthday chapter in the end?
Right, thanks for reminding me! Alright, here's my question. What kind of birthday chapter do you want? Do you want a chapter like the last one? Or do you perhaps want to see a sneak peak on one of my other stories? Or do you want to know more about Heng shi's childhood? Write which kind of birthday chapter you want in a review, it will help me a lot to decide on what to write if I know what you want. :)
Heng shi: Are you done now?
Yeah, I think I'm done. Thank you everyone who read and reviews my story, I can't thank you enough. ^^ See you soon~! :D