Disclaimer: Haibane Renmei is the product of Yoshitoshi ABe, Aureole Secret
Factory and Fuji Television.... for those who don't know. Which I rarely
do since I equally rarely bother to look at the packaging of my dvds. It
is more like RIP OFF THE PLASTIC WRAPPING!!!! OPEN THE CASE!!!! STICK DVD
INTO PLAYER!!!! WAHEEEEEYYYY!!!! Or something like that.
----o
Ketsu could feel the feather, floating within her mind. Its presence was
comforting, to a certain extent, and she decided that the hall would be a
good place for her to stay.
The rays of the sun shone through the lead-light windows in a ripple of
colours across the simple wooden board floor, where she had been sitting
for.... She couldn't remember how long. It didn't seem to matter,
though.... This was a place she was going to get to know, even if there
didn't seem to be much for her to discover, she was sure the hall had a
myriad of hidden depths.
Her eyes moved around the walls of the hall, searching for those hidden
depths. Plainly painted white, intersected by the entranceway at one end
and the windows on either side, met her gaze. Nothing. There didn't seem
to be anything there that could possibly keep her interest. She looked up
at the ceiling, high and steeply sloped, it was crossed by a regular
sequence of beams, radiating from the side walls to a central beam that ran
along the length of the hall. All were made of aged wood that she couldn't
quite name. It didn't seem to matter, though. Everything was
well-constructed. For the time being.
She studied the entranceway. The big double doors were closed, so most of
it was in shadow. On either side of the entranceway were two small doors,
leading to, what had to be, considering the short length of the
entranceway, cupboard-sized anterooms. She looked down at her legs, which
seemed reluctant to work, and gave them the best admonishing stare. Within
moments, she was standing, and making her way over to the entrance,
stopping by the door to the anteroom on her left. She gripped the handle
and turned it, the door opening without protest. Inside, it was dark, and
dusty. She sniffed the dust, sneezing a couple of times. She liked the
scent of dust, for some reason. There was a comforting sensation to the
age it seemed to bestow upon the place.
The darkness of the anteroom wasn't helping. Even with the light coming
from the windows, it was hard to see what was inside, so she reached around
the edge of the doorway, feeling for a lightswitch. Her hand ran up and
down where one should have been, but she couldn't find one, until she
became frustrated, and suddenly her hand landed upon something that,
seconds earlier, had not been there.
She withdrew the hand, not sure of what to do next. She didn't like little
surprises.... But she had wanted there to be a light in the anteroom, and
so there was one. She reached back in again and felt the object, pushing
down on the central nodule. There was a click, and dim light filled the
anteroom.
There were cupboards there. Small ones, to be sure, running along the
inner wall of the anteroom, but it was more than she was expecting. At the
far end, there was a wooden chair. A rather hard-looking, straight-backed
one, but a chair all the same. She looked around the hall and wondered
what she would do with the chair. After all, where she would put it, and
such. or should she just leave it in the anteroom, for it to continue to
gather dust....
"If I were you." Said Rakka. "I'd use the chair."
She spun to see Rakka, standing a few feet from the entranceway in the
hall. Rakka smiled, holding her hands in front of her shyly.
"I doubt you'd want to leave the chair in the room." Rakka went on. "Not
after all the effort you put in to make it."
----o
An Haibane Renmei Fanfiction
Red Feathers in Old Home
by Dark Day For Anime
Part 7
Dialogue - Temple - Perception
----o
"Rakka...." Ketsu didn't know what else to say at that point. She simply
threw herself at the girl and wrapped her arms around her waist, falling to
her knees. Rakka seemed momentarily surprised, but smiled and placed a
hand on Ketsu's head.
"You seem rather pleased to see me."
Ketsu looked up into her face. "Of course I am." There were tears forming
in her eyes. "Where did you go? You disappeared. We were.... We
were...." She had trouble remembering the details. For some reason, they
didn't seem entirely important. "We were.... sitting together, in that
field, on the grass."
"Yes, we were, weren't we. Wasn't the sun warm?" Rakka gently ran a hand
along Ketsu's face. "We were there, but we aren't there, now. No we are
here. Are you happy to be here?"
Ketsu swallowed, then pressed her face into Rakka's belly, holding her
tightly. "We were there, and you vanished. Why? Why did you leave me?"
"I can't be everywhere at once. But I'm here now."
Ketsu moved away from Rakka, looking up at her searchingly. She hadn't
quite let go.... afriad that Rakka might disappear again. Slowly she stood
and considered her for a moment. "Yes." She nodded. "You're here,
now. Do you feel like staying? It would be good if you could stay."
"I like that." Rakka turned and looked around the hall. "This place feels
very warm. It desperately wants there to be someone sheltering within. It
certainly wants me to be here. But we have to fill this place with things
that would make our stay much more inviting."
Ketsu stepped back and peered over her shoulder at the open door of the
anteroom. "We can start with the chair."
"We can start with a lot more than a mere chair. Though that depends on
you." Rakka turned back to Ketsu. "What would you like to fill this space
with?"
"Perhaps it is best to find out for ourselves." Ketsu gestured to the
anteroom, and they both approached the open doorway.
Within, the chair had been joined by bedframes and mattressed, lying on
their sides along the length of the anteroom. Ketsu looked at Rakka a moment.
"Is this really possible? For things to appear that weren't there before?"
"They are there. it is possible." Rakka nodded and moved into the
anteroom, sidling her way past the bedframes. "I shall take this
end." She pointed to the far end of the first bedframe. "And you take the
other. We shall move them into the hall. A living space is never quite as
comfortable without a place to sleep, wouldn't you say?"
"I don't like sleep very much." Ketsu looked glumly at the bedframe before
entering the anteroom and taking hold of her end. "Sleep never seems to
bring me much in the way of rest."
"Sleep is never an escape. You still dream." Rakka took hold of her end
and they lifted the bedframe, slowly manouevering it out through the
doorway and into the hall, where they lay it up against the wall on the
other side of the anteroom. They then returned and did the same with the
other bedframe, the end sections and the mattresses. They then slotted the
bedframes into the end sections, so that the beds were now sitting up of
their legs, and lined both up against the walls on the other side of both
anterooms. They then placed the mattresses atop the frames and stood back,
surveying their work.
"Now we need something to make the beds presentable for sleeping." Rakka
turned to Ketsu. "Do you think there might be bedsheets, pillows, blankets
or dunas in the cupboards." She nodded towards the anteroom.
"If there must be...." Ketsu crossed her arms. "There must."
And there were. There was nothing else in the cupboards, but exactly what
Rakka suggested there should have been. Ketsu didn't feel particularly
surprised by this. As she applied the bedsheets and blankets to one of the
beds, she watched as Rakka did the same to the other. She tried to gauge
what Rakka was thinking. For some reason, she felt uneasy by her simple
acceptance of Rakka's appearance, and the simplicity with which Rakka had
taken control of the situation.
But then, Rakka was going to protect her. Rakka was the one who had saved
her from the darkness. She turned from Rakka and looked at the double
entrance doors. The darkness had been in here and had tried to claim
her. But she had been saved.... Saved by the red feather.
It rolled through her mind, as if blown by an invisible breeze. She
couldn't see where it was, but she could see its every filament, radiating
out from the spine. It wasn't entirely uniform in colour.... She didn't
expect it to be. But she revelled in the tiny details.... The minute
changes in shade, from the base of the feather to its tip, slowly getting
lighter as it did so. Lighter and thinner. The outer edges weathered more
than the inner ones, protected by the folds of other feathers. She wished
she knew where there were more feathers for her to grasp. To have. To keep.
"Are you frightened by what exists outside?" Rakka brought Ketsu out of
her reverie.
"Hmm? No." Ketsu shook her head. "I've been out there. I know what
exists there. It is quite beautiful, in its own way."
"Yes." Rakka folded her hands in front of her, again. "Yes, in its own
way. But there are always warnings for you to follow. Outside is never as
safe as inside. Most of the time."
"Most of the time?" Ketsu raised an eyebrow. "When will it ever become
dangerous within?"
Rakka took Ketsu's hands and lead her to the doorway. Opening one of the
double doors, they stepped outside and up to the side of the
fountain. Rakka pointed to the figure at the top of the fountain. "A
warning. As calm as the water flows, it also runs with the pain of tears
and blood shed."
Ketsu stared at the water, trickling from the outstetched wrists of the
figure, into its hands, through its fingers and into the pool below. "It
is macabre, but beautiful at the same time. I don't know if I entirely
like it."
"It is still crude." Rakka gestured at the figure. "It is, perhaps,
better if it remains so. You wouldn't want it to become too similar to
your own appearance. If it was to be reshaped in your image, do you think
you could live with it?"
Ketsu shook her head. "I wouldn't want such a monument in my own
image." She looked around at the trees, nervously. "Outside, I keep
feeling something. Someone. Like they are watching me."
"There are others out there."
"But I can't see them. Can't hear them. It is more like a distant
echo." She shook her head. "Are there really people out there?"
"Yes. There are many. Just like I am here, and you are here, there are
many others. I can see them. I am not afraid of them."
"Not afraid...." Ketsu chewed her lower lip. "Does that mean I am afraid
of them?"
"Do you feel afraid?"
"I don't really understand people well." Ketsu searched for the right
words. "People do things and behave in a certain way. And I don't know
why. I'm not good a reading non-verbal cues, at subtext in
language.... I'm not very good at such things." She looked into Rakka's
eyes, her expression intense and pleading. "But I can understand you. The
communication between us feels simple, even if.... even if...."
Rakka placed a finger on Ketsu's lips, shaking her head. "You understand
more than you know. Even if it doesn't come naturally to you."
Ketsu wanted to say more, but the subject had passed. Rakka sat down on
the edge of the fountain and placed a hand in the water, gently splashing
it against the base of the centrepiece. Ketsu watched for several moments,
then sat beside her, turning her gaze to Rakka's fingers, moving the water
with a slender grace.
She looked at her own fingers. By comparison, they seemed short, stubby
and misshapen. She remembered her reflection, earlier, and how she'd
judged her appearance as being less than to her liking. Watching Rakka,
now, for all her seeming ordinariness, she seemed perfect. Older than her
by several years, she was taller, thinner and more graceful. Her slightly
messy, wavy auburn hair fell just short of her shoulders. Ketsu wished
she'd had hair that simple. She touched her own long, straight, black
locks. They felt hard and wiry. If they had been any rougher, she was
sure the strands would cut into her fingers.
"One shouldn't compare oneself to others." Ketsu was brought out of her
musings with a start. Rakka was looking at her, still smiling, but a
little more sadly than before. "Everyone compares themselves to others,
and find themselves wanting. It is an irony, but more often than not the
person whom you most admire probably looks upon you the same way, and upon
themselves."
"How.... I wasn't"
"Yes, you were." Rakka brushed a hand against Ketsu's face. "I do. There
was a time when I thought I was worthless. Perhaps I was, in a
fashion." She shook her head. "Self delusion. I wanted to believe I was
a failure, and so I started to become one." She then reached over Ketsu's
shoulder and brushed a hand against the feathers of her wings. "I wouldn't
want to see these beautiful grey wings turn a shade darker than they are, now."
Ketsu lowered her gaze, unable to withstand the look Rakka was giving
her. "Surely, the measure of my worth is up to me?" A deep glumness
seemed to overtake her. A resistance, perhaps, to what Rakka was
saying. "I really don't like myself. You'll have to try harder than that
to make me believe otherwise."
Rakka withdrew her hands, leaning back from Ketsu. "So, you don't believe
I am genuine in liking you?"
"I'm not saying that."
"But that is precisely what you are saying, is it not?"
The question frustrated Ketsu. It felt like Rakka was reading every word
that was coming from her mouth, every thought that was going through her
mind. She felt uncomfortably open. "I.... Whether you like me, or
not.... Like my own measure of myself, is up to you. That doesn't mean
you're wrong. Just.... perhaps.... mistaken." After a moment of silence,
Ketsu growled and beat herself over her head. "Oooohhh.... I don't
know." She stood, first looking at Rakka, then at her surrounds. "All of
this. What is this place? Where am I? I feel tired and confused. I
don't know how I got here, and I feel as if I've been lead on ever
since.... I dunno, since I was lying with my head in your lap. I can't
even remember how long ago that was."
"Ketsu...." Rakka's voice was stern, reclaiming Ketsu's attention. She
then softened her tone. "Nobody understands where they come from, so
nobody knows how they came to be. Is it not enough to simply accept what
is happening? Ride it out to the destination that has been set for you?"
"I don't know. What is the point? I mean, why bother with a
destination?" Ketsu sighed. "I really hate talking about myself. But its
all I ever seem to do."
"What else is there to talk about, other than your response to all that
happens around you?" Rakka smiled and stood, brushing down the back of her
dress. "Now that we have beds arranged inside, would you like to
investigate your new world? I'm sure you'll find something of interest,
there."
"My new world?" Ketsu shook her head. "I've seen enough of it for one day."
"Are you sure? You might find more people to add to your circle of friends."
"You're enough." Ketsu turned and started to walk back into the hall, but
Rakka stayed where she was. Sensing this, Ketsu paused and looked back at
her. "What?" Rakka held her hands in front of her and continued
smiling. "Ah. So YOU want to explore, is that it?"
"No. You are the one who wants to explore. I'm merely going to follow you."
"But...." Ketsu shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere. I want to stay
here. For the time being."
"That's not what you really want to do." Rakka persisted. Her smile had
now vanished, replaced by a look of disappointment. Ketsu couldn't stand
that look. She didn't want to disappoint Rakka. Not her.
"What I really want to do is...." Ketsu looked away for a moment. "I
don't know what I want to do." She reached out a hand to Rakka. "Please
help me. I want.... I don't know...."
Rakka lifted up a hand and touched Ketsu's.
She was lying on her side, her knees close to being tucked underneath her
chin. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, holding them there, with a
strength she didn't know she had. She was lying in a bed. A large bed, in
the common room, or the guest room. She'd heard it described as both. All
this from the sense of touch. The last she could remember, she had been
lying on the bed, and something happened. Something painful. And then
there was something else.... Visions she couldn't quite remember.
What she wanted, most of all, was to see Rakka when she opened her
eyes. Rakka had to be there. If Rakka wasn't there.... A deep chasm
opened up within her. She was too frightened to open her eyes. Too
frightened. Too....
No. You are the one who wants to explore. I'm merely going to follow you.
Ketsu's eyes snapped open. Rakka was sitting, half asleep, in a chair
nearby. The doors to the balcony were open, letting in a warm breeze. It
was still day, though the light was fading. Ketsu turned her head and
looked around the room. Rakka was the only person there. Just herself and
Rakka. She smiled and watched Rakka sleep. The chasm within seemed to
close. She was happy.
Rakka head nodded forward and she started awake. Looking around, blearily,
she noticed that Ketsu was awake. "Ah." She stood, a little too fast, and
almost staggered on her feet. Ketsu chuckled.
"You'll do yourself a mischief if you aren't careful." Ketsu was surprised
at how dry and raspy her voice sounded. She put a hand to her throat and
felt it. Rakka knelt down beside the bed.
"How are you feeling now?"
"I think I need water. My throat is dry. Nnnnn...." Ketsu winced as she
felt a spasm of pain in her back, combined with a wooshing noise as
something scraped along the bed behind her. "Ooohhh.... What...?"
"Just your wings." Ketsu half-turned and gestured to her own. "You now
have a pair, all to yourself. They're a popular item around here."
"Can I...." Another spasm of pain, followed by a whooshing noise.
"Careful. Don't try and use the muscles in your back and arms too
much. The skin of your back is still sore and tender. Will be so for a
couple of days. The muscles that control the wings aren't quite fully
developed, yet, and won't be until you start using them more often. Until
then, they have a tendency to respond to the other muscles around them."
"Can I see them? I mean, can I see what they look like?"
Rakka thought it over. "Well, okay. If you really want to." She got up
and went to the table, where a small hand mirror was sitting. She scooped
it up and returned, kneeling once more before holding it up for Ketsu to
see. "There. Are they visible?"
"A bit higher." Ketsu squinted into the mirror as Rakka lifted it
slightly. Her eyes opened wide when she saw them.
"Beautiful wings, just like mine. Neither white nor black, but a beautiful
grey, like they were coloured by charcoal. You won't find anything else
like them here."
Ketsu was hypnotised by them. Slowly, she reached out with a hand, and
Rakka allowed her to take the mirror. She moved the mirror around several
angles, so she could see them more properly. And they were just as Rakka
had said. "How...."
"They just popped out of your back. It happens to all Haibane soon after
they arrive here, in Glie." Rakka chuckled. "I think I told you all this
before.... It has been a hectic couple of days, though...."
Ketsu lowered the mirror and looked up at Rakka's halo. "What about that,
then?"
Rakka reached up to her halo. "This? Oh, you'll have one soon
enough. Its different than the wings, though. It doesn't grow out of your
head."
"Be a bit of a mess if it did." Ketsu chuckled. "Ahhh.... If you think
its been a hectic couple of days for you.... I can't even remember most of
what has happened over that time."
"You've been asleep for most of it." Rakka took the mirror from Ketsu and
placed it back on the table. "I think I'll get that water for your
throat. I don't think I can stand hearing you use sandpaper for vocal
chords much longer."
Rakka disappeared into the kitchen as Ketsu resisted the urge to stretch
and yawn. The door to the common room opened, and Hikari and Kana entered,
Hikari holding what looked like a small warming pan, with a donut shaped
hoop on the end in place of the pan. "Ah, she's awake." Hikari smiled at
Ketsu. "Well, this should make things easier."
Rakka exited the kitchen with a glass of water. "You made good time."
"Better than I thought it'd be. Ran into Kana, here, on the way back."
Kana folded her arms behind her head. "Guess who piggybacked the last mile
and a bit. I swear, if a whole fleet of secondhand bikes appear on the
scene, I'm in for them.... Less work for me."
Hikari chuckled as Kana sat down on the end of the bed, looking at
Ketsu. "How are you feeling now? Any side-effects, and all?"
Ketsu's eyes moved from Kana to Hikari and back. "I...."
"For one thing...." Rakka butted in. "She needs something to drink. She
certainly isn't going to be saying much until then."
Rakka sat on the edge of the bed and, with one arms, gently helped Ketsu up
into a seated position, before easing the glass of water to Ketsu's lips.
She drank deeply and quickly, downing the whole glass in one. Rakka took
the empty glass away and smiled at her. "I suppose you'll be wanting
something to eat, soon. You haven't exactly been overfed since you arrived."
Ketsu got her breath back and blushed. "It's.... okay.... I...." At
which point, her stomach decided to grumble. They stared at her for
several second before they laughed, good-naturedly. She put a hand to her
stomach in embarassment. "I.... guess I do need something."
"What have we got ready to go?" Kana nodded at Rakka.
"Curry." Rakka stuck a tongue out at Kana. Vegetable curry." Kana
grumbled at this. "Don't complain. You never make dinner, so you'll have
to eat what is put in front of you." Rakka chided in response.
"Ah, I'm such a hopeless case." Kana held up her hands, mockingly, then
turned back to Ketsu. "What do you say to vegetable curry?"
"Ummm.... Its better to have food than to have none?" Ketsu looked from
Kana to Rakka, sheepishly, as Kana laughed out loud.
"See what she thinks of your cooking, Rakka? She's barely eaten any, and
she already sounds scared." Kana stood and gave Ketsu the
thumbs-up. "Always use the best survival techniques around here."
"Kana...." Hikari whapped Kana over the shoulder in admonishment as Rakka
shrugged and took the glass back into the kitchen. When she returned,
Hikari held out the little ring on a handle that she'd been holding.
"Shall we do this now, or wait for the others to get here?"
"Might as well do it now. We'll be here all night if we wait for Hana and
the twins to arrive." Kana crossed her arms before someone cleared their
throat from the doorway. They turned to see Yu standing there with her
arms crossed, Hana and Sa behind her. "Looks like the cavalry's finally
arrived. And about time, too." Kana smirked.
"Thankyou very much, Kana. It is nice to see you too." Yu huffed and
stomped past Kana to the other side of the bed where she stood, facing away
from Ketsu, her arms folded behind her head. Hana and Sa followed her in.
"Excuse her. She's had a hard day doing nothing. Always wears her
out." Sa snorted, much to Yu's annoyance.
"What we have been doing today cannot be deemed as being 'nothing'." Yu
looked down her nose at her sister.
"And just what have you all been doing, today?" Hikari looked at the three
younger feathers. "You were all certainly missing in action when things
were going down."
"Um...." Sa's eyes shifted around the room, giving off the distinct 'I'm
guilty about doing something you don't know about' look. Hana decided to
jump in, here.
"We were packing the crates back into the storage room." Hana was sure
they could see the sweat running down her forehead.
"Yeah.... Um..... We, like, cleaned out the storeroom, and such, and
decided to put everything back as it was just getting in the way,
outside." Sa followed up.
"More like you scarfed everything in the crates for yourselves." Hikari
growled.
"It's true." Hana looked at Hikari and Kana. "You believe ME, even if you
don't believe them."
Hikari, Kana and Rakka almost shrugged in unison. "Well, if it's done,
it's done." Rakka gestured to Hikari. "Well, we're all here now. So...."
Hikari shrugged and pulled a small pair of tongs from the pocket of her
skirt, almost small enough to be a large set of tweezers. With that, she
popped the lid of the donut-ring. Within, still sizzling as if it had been
freshly cooked, was a halo. Hikari picked the halo from the ring with the
tongs and held it up for all to see.
"With this halo...." She turned to Ketsu. "....We recognise you as a new
Haibane of Old Home." And with that, she stepped up to the bedside and
placed the halo above Ketsu's head.
Ketsu could feel the heat of the halo in her scalp, and the strange
sensation of something weighty pushing her down. Hikari released the halo
with the tongs, and it floated above Ketsu's head, looking as if it was
teetering on the edge of falling off. Ketsu reached up to touch it....
"Don't.... It's still quite hot." Rakka cautioned her. Ketsu's hand
dropped as she could feel the halo start to turn. The feeling seemed to
come from within, as if what was driving the halo was a part of her.
"Looks like this one is going to stay on." Kana crossed her arms and
nodded. "About time, too. The last few have had to have their halos tied
on before they stuck." She slyly looked from Rakka to the twins.
"Not all of us are born perfect, Kana." Hikari flipped the lid back onto
the halo mould and placed it on the table. "Shall we make dinner,
Rakka? Someone has to do some work around here."
"Oooh. Harsh." Kana chuckled.
"I'll help." Sa piped in, before Rakka placed a finger on her forehead.
"You'll be more help eating than preparing." She turned to Hana. "You,
however, are a different story."
As Hikari, Rakka and Hana entered the kitchen to make dinner, Kana patted
Sa on the back. "I think we hard-working types would be better off
cleaning ourselves up before dinner." She sniffed. "Besides, you smell
awful."
"I do not." Sa whined before Kana grabbed her by the earlobe.
"Believe me, you do. In this weather, I'm not surprised. Sticky as a
sauna, today, it was." Kana sighed. "Not pleasant for many reasons." She
looked over at Yu, who was still standing next to the bed, ignoring
everyone. "What about you? Feel like taking a bath for once in your life?"
"I've cleaned myself up, thankyou very much. My sister and I don't share
every little detail in our personal hygeine."
"Suit yourself." Kana shrugged before dragging Sa out of the room. After
watching them go, Ketsu looked up at her halo, watching it slowly spin on
the spot.
"What...." She asked softly to herself. "....Keeps it up there?"
"Does it matter?" Yu's petulant reply reminded Ketsu of her presence. The
girl had not turned to face her. Ketsu watched as Yu slowly stepped away
from the bedside, obviously in deep thought.
"It matters." Ketsu said, eventually. "Don't you want to know?"
"I'm not interested in the mechanics of the world we live in." Yu leaned
back, staring at the ceiling. Anything other than look at Ketsu. "Things
happen in this world. Things that have no explanation. What holds our
halos above our heads is just one of those things. I'm sure an in-depth
explanation of it all would be fraught with all sorts of post-modern
interpretive dangers. Or something like that."
"Umm.... Yeah." Ketsu turned from Yu, feeling that the girl was dropping
long words to start an argument. She yawned and lay down on her side, away
from Yu. "I don't know if I'll be able to stay awake long enough to eat,
after everything."
"You'll eat if you want to." Yu's voice seemed softer, now, as she closed
her eyes. "I don't really care all that much."
"Yu! Are you picking on Ketsu again?" That was Rakka's voice. She heard
Yu grumble, then silence.
Ketsu opened her eyes. The view across the hall was blocked by Yu,
kneeling next to the bed that she and Rakka had put together
earlier. "What...."
"Yes. What." Yu stood and walked into the middle of the hall as Ketsu sat
up on the bed. She looked across at the other bed, where she could see
Rakka sleeping, then back to Yu, who had started to spin on the spot.
"What are you doing...."
"Can't you tell? I'm making myself dizzy." And with that, Yu stopped
spinning and staggered a couple of steps before regaining her sense of
balance. "It is good to make yourself dizzy every so often. It gives you
a whole new perspective on life." She looked down at the floor, taking in
the colours painted there by the light through the coloured
windows. "There is beauty, wherever you search for it. This beauty is
yours. You should treasure it."
"How.... How did you get in here?"
"How?" Yu looked up at her. "I'm here because you let me. You wanted me
to be here. I'm not sure why. We're both still quite hostile to each
other. But if you look carefully, you might find something about me that
you like."
Yu fell to her knees and placed her fingers onto a patch of floor that was
lit red. Ketsu watched her before standing from the bed. "I didn't invite
you here." She grumbled. "You're the last person I would have invited here."
"No...." Yu watched as the red light rolled over her hand as she turned
it. "You wanted to know what I meant."
"What you meant?"
"About this world being fraught with post-modern interpretive dangers. You
wanted to know what I meant when I said that. I actually told you, but you
didn't listen, because you fell asleep. Typical, really. My sister does
it all the time. Tell me.... Am I boring to you?" Yu looked up at Ketsu.
"I think I could describe you in several ways. At least, what I've
experienced of you. You really haven't given me a chance to get to know you."
"Well, I'm here, now." Yu's hand, still in the red light, snapped closed
around something. Yu got to her feet and walked over to Ketsu, holding out
her hand. "Here."
"What is it?" Ketsu eyed her, warily.
"Something of importance."
Despite her better judgement, Ketsu reached out an upturned palm. Yu
opened her hand and dropped the red feather onto Ketsu's.
She stared at the feather for what seemed like an eternity, before it, too,
became a part of her inner being.
"Two feathers, Ketsu." Yu smiled. "It isn't so bad outside, is it?"
END OF PART 7
FEATHER 1.0: 19th-20th September 2004
---------------------------------------------------------------------o
There was once a Haibane named Fune. His name had meant "little boat",
because, in his dream, he had been pushed from one into deep, dark
water. Pushed by someone he knew and thought he trusted.
Fune had hatched from his cocoon near the painting of the Akabane, and thus
caused many to worry about him, greatly. And there was much to worry
about, for Fune proved to be a most difficult, unpredictable and angry
young Haibane.
He would latch onto people, as if they were his anchor in the world of
Glie, and would invariably be left disappointed and feeling betrayed when
they left him, or moved on. All of his extreme emotions were so wrapped up
in trying to control those that he felt were there to support him that he
never learnt how to take care of himself. Nor did he accept help from
those who openly sought to give him what he wanted, if he considered said
help to be hostile.
And so, when the darkness broke through the walls of Glie and came for him,
there was nobody to protect him.
----o
Ketsu stared up into the bright, burning sky.
Spinning blades of a giant weather vane refelcted light into her eyes. She
could imagine the light, flowing back from her into the world
She reached up, as if to touch the vane, and wondered if she was dreaming.
She heard Rakka calling out to her, and she turned.
----o
An Haibane Renmei Fanfiction
Red Feathers in Old Home
by Dark Day For Anime
Part 8
Within - Without - Withunder
----o
Summer in Glie would arrive with the same abruptness and intensity as the
Winter that preceded it. The calm, gently warm days of spring would
suddenly become intensely hot and humid, bringing with it wild electrical
storms, interspersed with but a few breaks of more inviting, balmier
weather (often in the immediate wake of the storms). Rakka looked up into
the morning sky, already starting to fill with clouds, and dabbed the sweat
from her forehead with a handkerchief. There was going to be rain before
the end of the day, and long, heavy rain it would be, too.
She turned back to the archway into the courtyard of Old Home, pocketing
her handkerchief, as slow, tentative footsteps echoed through its
recesses. Ketsu stopped and stared at the fields that surrounded Old Home
warily, as much frightened by her first moments outside its protection as
she was fascinated by the scenery. She then looked down at the clothes she
was wearing, feeling a little uncomfortable. Rakka noticed.
"They don't look too bad on you." She appraised Ketsu, who was wearing a
short-sleeved, reddish brown shirt, black shorts and similarly black,
rather large (for a girl Ketsu's size) shoes. The clothes had been
cast-offs from Sa's wardrobe, the twin forgetting, in her over-eagerness to
acquire clothes of her own soon after her arrival in Glie, exactly what her
body measurements were likely to be. Almost everything she chose from the
used clothes store was too big for her.
She'd traded most of her poor acquisitions later on, but these had somehow
hidden themselves at the back of the wardrobe, almost as if they knew they
were going to be used. Sa was not happy with having to part with
them. There was a half-constructed crystal set, sitting innocuously on a
shelf at the back of the second-hand store, that she would have liked to
get her hands on.
"I don't know." Ketsu shrugged, moving the shirt about. "The fabric feels
odd over my skin. Really abrasive. Unpleasant." She glanced back at her
wings. "And the slots for the wings aren't lined up right. Its rubbing
against them the wrong way, where the wings join my back."
"You worry too much." Rakka patted her on the shoulder. "Your wings are a
lot hardier than that." She flapped her wings a couple of times to
underline the point.
"I suppose so." Ketsu bit her lower lip. "Though I'll probably get
friction burns from all the rubbing."
"Its the weather." Rakka gestured at the sky. "The humidity makes you
sweat, and your skin gets irritated, especially with unfamiliar
clothes. Learn to ignore it, it isn't going to get any better."
"I'm sure I'd feel this way in mid-winter. These clothes are all itchy and
rough. I should put that dress you gave me back on...."
As Ketsu looked as if she were going to turn back into Old Home, Rakka
shook her head and took her by the arm, leading her away from the
arch. "You are far too used to an easy lifestyle. The walk should do you
some good."
Ketsu stared back at the arch for the first ten or so steps, almost
longingly, before registering what Rakka had said. "Easy lifestyle?" She
puffed up her cheeks and pouted. "I'm only just getting my legs to work
properly. I haven't had much chance to live anything but."
"You've been walking around Old Home for days. I think they're working
properly." Rakka smiled. "Though it would have been nice if the weather
had been better in your first few days here. The weather was really nice
when I arrived in Glie." Ketsu shrugged and held onto Rakka's arm, tightly.
"I don't mind the hot weather. Mostly. It feels as if I've lived with
this kind of weather for as long as I can remember. Here. And
before. Maybe the weather is adjusting itself to suit me."
"I certainly hope not. Don't think I could stand it like this all the
time." Rakka chuckled.
They continued on in silence for a while, following the path before turning
off towards the temple. A short time later, Ketsu let go of Rakka's arm
and paused, watching the windvanes atop the windy hill. Rakka, who had
walked some short distance after Ketsu had released her, turned and studied
her expression. There was something going on behind her eyes that was
difficult to read: they didn't seem to be quite focused....
"Are they that interesting?"
"Hmm?" Ketsu snapped out of her musing and shrugged. "I dreamt about
these things last night.... I think." She paused. "So hard to remember
the details of my dreams. They're all a jumble. Sometimes I have trouble
remembering which world is the dream and which is reality." She glanced at
Rakka. "This is the real bit, isn't it?"
Rakka raised an eyebrow before shrugging and pinching her cheek between
thumb and forefinger. "It hurts. This must be real." She folded her arms
behind her. "I certainly wouldn't want to dream about this kind of weather."
Ketsu sighed and turned back to the vanes. "They were big." She pointed
at the nearest of them. "Really big, and clean, like they'd just been
built and painted. Not at all like these." Her hand moved back to the
bridge of her nose, which she pinched as she closed her eyes, like trying
to ward off a headache. "Or maybe there was just one. One big one. It
seems important, somehow. I'm not sure why. Maybe I saw them from Old
Home. But I wasn't really looking at our surroundings."
"You can see quite a lot from the upper-storey windows of Old Home. Even
if you weren't thinking about it, you could have glanced in this direction...."
"No." Ketsu shook her head. "I wasn't looking. Not at that. I was
looking at Old Home, itself." She paused. "Have you noticed the way it
changes?"
"Changes?" Rakka frowned.
"All the rooms. They change around. Things move. Rooms that were
derelict one moment seem not so the next. It is almost as if the place is
alive, and adapting itself to the changes in its environment."
Rakka thought long and hard about what to say next. Ketsu had a tendency
to say these kind of things, out of the blue. "I've.... lived there for a
number of years. Apart from watching things slowly fall apart, I can't say
there have been any great changes."
Ketsu seemed disappointed. "I thought, maybe, it was just my
imagination. As I said, I've had trouble discerning the difference between
the real world and my dreams. Maybe I'm mixing things up. Or maybe I'm
just mixed up. I dunno...." After a few moments, she turned back to the
vanes. "There is something about them." She said in an almost dreamy
tone. "I almost feel as if I want to curl up underneath one and fall
asleep...."
"Well, you can do that later. We have things to do."
Ketsu's face fell and she turned, brushing past Rakka in the direction of
the temple before stopping. "Must we go? I really don't want to see them."
"A summons from the Haibane Renmei cannot be ignored." Rakka shook her
head. "There is nothing to be afraid of. The Haibane Renmei exist to help
all Haibane who live in Glie...." She paused, thinking. "They might seem
a little scary, at first, but they only want to help you. And to do that,
they have to meet you."
"I have you." Ketsu hadn't turned to look at Rakka, but she had gone rigid
and stiff, her hands clenched white. Rakka knew, from experience over the
last few days, that this was a sign of an incipient tantrum.
"You have me." Rakka said, soothingly. "You have many people, Ketsu."
"I have you." Ketsu was quivering now.
"You have many people. People who helped me. Do you not trust those in
whom I placed my own?" It did the trick. Ketsu's figure relaxed
noticeably. Rakka stepped up alongside her once more and took her arm,
gently guiding her further towards their destination.
----o
Sa leaned her chin against the wall of the balcony landing, looking glum as
she stared at the empty courtyard. Hana watched her from the doorway to
the common room, nervously.
"Is she still sulking?" Hikari asked as she entered the common room,
shrugging and stretching as she tried to make herself more comfortable in
her blouse. As one of her better items of clothing, she tended to wear it
sparingly, and thus found it somewhat strange and uncomfortable every time
she put it on.
Hana glanced back at her. "She had an argument with her sister this
morning." The younger Haibane almost whispered. "Yu stormed off after she
got dressed, to town, probably to the second hand goods shop. Sa's been
like this ever since."
"Been like what?" Sa grumbled from behind Hana. She had practically crept
up behind the girl, so was unsurprised by how far the smaller girl leapt
from the doorway. There were, practically, nanoseconds between Sa speaking
and Hana hiding behind Hikari.
Sa took a long breath and put her hands on her hips. "Honestly, we didn't
argue at all. She's been all upset these past few days, and I called her
an overemotional arse to calm her down. Then she starts crying and runs
off. I really don't understand that girl."
"Obviously." Hikari glowered. "Perhaps you might like to apologise to her
when you next see her? Just a thought, but it might do a better job at
calming her down."
"Apologise?" Sa sniffed. "For what? She's the one who keeps acting like
she's upset." Sa stormed past Hikari and grabbed Hana's arm. "Come on,
you, we've got stuff to do."
"Hey...." Hikari turned as she watched Sa and Hana disappear out of the
room, the door slamming shut behind them. "Oooohhhh.... Kids!" She
rubbed her face with her hands in frustration.
----o
Sa managed to drag Hana some distance before the smaller girl was able to
work her way out of her grasp. "That hurt." Hana rubbed her arm as Sa
paused, not turning around to look at her. "Why did you have to do
that? What do we have to do?"
"Check on the cocoon. I'd rather not go in there alone." Sa mumbled.
"Oh...." Hana sighed. "You know, what she said.... what Hikari said....
was right."
"I know that. But I'm not going to say that to her." Sa spun and grabbed
Hana by the shoulders, taking her by surprise once more. "There is
something going on between Yu and Ketsu. She might seem upset, but that's
not what she's really feeling."
"Eh?" Hana blinked in confusion.
"Despite what Hikari says, I do know my sister, all too well. Sulking and
whining are her pastimes. They're what she likes to do. So if she's
especially sulking and whining around Ketsu, it means she really likes her."
"Umm...." Hana frowned. "I'm sure it all makes a lot of sense to you...."
Sa sighed with exasperation. "Look, you've spent much of your time trying
to help Ketsu, to befriend her. You tried to show her around Old
Home. You gave her meals and all sorts of things, and how has she
responded?" Hana said nothing, so Sa nodded. "Exactly. Hasn't shown the
slightest interest in you. But she seems to feel she has some kind of
special attachment to my sister. They argue all the time, which means Yu
really likes her, and she must really like Yu."
"There is a flaw in that logic, somewhere."
"My logic is never flawed." Sa let go of Hana and smiled. "You mark my
words, if it goes on like this, they'll be lovers by this time next week."
She had to help Hana off the floor. "I think...." Hana tried to stop
herself from laughing. "You're misreading the situation."
"Oh no I'm not. Not if I know my sister as well as I think I do."
"I think we should be checking on the cocoon, what do you say?" Hana
stifled a giggle before she moved on, leaving Sa standing in the middle of
the corridor, considering all the things she could do to get between Ketsu
and her sister....
----o
The secondhand goods store fronted onto a small cobblestone laneway, not
far from the bakery where Hikari worked. The twins had discovered it
whilst investigating the nooks and crannies of the township during their
first few weeks in Glie.
According to the customs of the Haibane, all new feathers were to find
their place within the life and business of Glie, which meant finding them
something productive to do with their days.
Of course, it wasn't easy: they showed scant interest in doing any of the
work the other Haibane of Old Home were doing. The mere suggestion of
joining Nemu at the library was almost enough for Sa to break out in hives,
and they'd both shown exactly what to expect from a visit to the bakery by
almost setting the kitchen ablaze, one night, whilst trying to cook
dinner. Nobody was willing to allow the pair close to anything that
vaguely resembled a food-warming implement after that.
Sa had shown some interest in Kana's work, at the clockmakers, and had even
helped her out, for a while, with the renovation of the clocktower at Old
Home. But Sa's attention span was too short: Kana never seemed all that
interested in actually completing what she was doing.... She had
remodelled and redesigned the mechanism for the clock at least twice before
Sa wandered off with Yu to find something more their style.
Yu had actually been mapping out the streets of the township. She had
every bit the spatial memory of her sister, but used it in different
ways. She'd memorise the lengths and widths of the streets by pacing them,
then would go back to Old Home and draw them up on a piece of parchment she
had found in the wardrobe of their room the day after they had chosen it.
It was during these investigations, with the assistance of Sa, that they'd
discovered the secondhand goods store in the small cobblestone laneway. It
wasn't all that much to look at: a wide, slightly dusty front window,
displaying a variety of household implements that had been, mostly, given
to Inakuma, the owner of the store, in trade for other things. The
laneway, itself, ran behind a line of townhouses and supply stores, which
meant very few people used it, and with it being in shade for the majority
of the day, there was a sense of the hidden about the store. All the same,
they were sure they could hear a heavenly chorus the moment they laid eyes
on the treasures within its depths. They had found their calling.
Or so Yu had thought. Things had changed since then. Sa had changed.
The owner of the store, Marie Inakuma, was a middle-aged woman who had
inherited the business from her husband, after he had passed away from
complications of an illness he had had since his childhood. His picture
hung on the wall behind the counter of the store, giving it his continued,
albeit mute, presence. At least, Marie liked to think so. She had said as
much to Sa, when the unsubtle twin had bluntly asked her if the frame
around the picture of 'the guy' was for sale. Much to Yu's relief, Marie
proved to be a readily forgiving woman.
Yu entered the store to the rattling jingle of the doorbell, which had
spent a portion of its life as a cowbell, until Sa discovered it and made
the conversion for the sake of Marie, who only ever seemed to register that
anyone had entered the store on the odd occasion that she was awake. The
rattling had roused her even now, and Yu sighed as the woman smiled a
welcome, blinking blearily.
"Honestly, what kind of welcome is that for the customers?" Yu put her
hands on her hips. Marie stood from the battered old seat behind the
counter and shrugged.
"Good morning to you, Missy. Might I ask you what you have been doing for
the past few days? I do seem to remember something about your working here."
Yu huffed and stomped over to the counter. "There probably hasn't been a
customer in all that time, so it wouldn't matter, anyway."
"Au contrere.... There have been quite a number of customers."
"Buying what? Everything is exactly where it was when I last left." Yu
gestured to the items stacked on the dusty shelves before hopping up onto
the counter, crossing her arms and flapping her wings. "But don't worry,
I'm here to save the day."
Marie smiled. "Whatever you say. Would you like some tea? I'll put the
kettle on." She was about to turn before noticing what Yu was
wearing. "My, all dressed up today, aren't we?"
Yu looked down at the dark dress with the white frills around the collar
and sleeves. "Mmmm.... Had this for a while. Just haven't had the time
or opportunity to wear it."
"Hmm?"
"The funeral this afternoon." Yu sighed as Marie stared blankly at
her. "Old Mister Fujita. You remember?"
"Ah...." Marie nodded. "Mmmm.... Forgive me.... I didn't know him or
his family all that well. Though my dear Goro probably did." She turned
to her husband's picture. "He knew a lot of people around town. There
were many at his service."
Yu considered Marie for a moment, then shrugged. "We didn't know if we
were going to be allowed to attend this afternoon." She leaned back and
stared at the ceiling. "You won't believe the circles Rakka-oneesan and
Hikari-oneesan have run around. Meanwhile, the rest of us have had to keep
an eye on the newcomer...."
"Hmmm...." Marie nodded before turning and opening the door to the small
backroom. "How is she going, by the way?" She asked, pausing before
entering and picking up the kettle from the counter by the door, testing
how much water there was inside. Not much was the sloshing response.
"Terrible. Awful. And that's just around me." Yu sniffed.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Yu shook her head. "I dunno which is worse.... The fact that I'm
one of only two people she actually wants to interact with, or the fact
that said interaction usually means arguing. With me. Only with me."
"So she's a bit of a disruptive sort, is she? This...."
"Ketsu."
"Yes, this Ketsu. Sounds a bit like one or two Haibane I've heard about
from the past." Marie moved across to the sink at the back of the room and
started topping up the kettle.
"Oh, it gets better. Half the stuff she wants to argue about, with me, she
seems to have made up in her head." Yu turned and looked back at Marie,
tapping the side of her head. "I'm not exactly up with the personalities
of Haibane, in general, as I only know the ones I've met, but I have to be
honest.... She's mental. There ain't no other word for it."
"That's not a very nice thing to say." Marie stepped back towards the
counter, replacing the refilled kettle where she had found it and plugged
it in to the power. "All Haibane have eccentric personalities, in my
limited experience, and of what I hear from others. Yours just happen to
clash for the moment, that is all. She'll change in time, when she gets
used to things."
"You know, less than a couple of days after she had arrived here, she
wanted to discuss with me stuff that I'd never said to her. Do you know
what.... 'post-modern interprit.... interpola.... intrapretive....
dangers'.... actually means? I have enough trouble actually saying
it." Yu made a spitting sound to underline this.
"Is 'interpretive' the word you're looking for?"
"Yeah, whatever. She wanted to have a row with me about it on her second
night here. I had no idea what she was talking about. But in her own
mind, I was the one who'd brought it up to begin with. And the only other
person she'll talk to is Rakka. But does she argue with
Rakka? Nooooooooooo.... Why me? What did I do to deserve this?" Yu
slumped back on the counter and sighed. Marie pondered over the girl as
the water in the kettle started to bubble. A rumble from outside the shop
roused Marie from her reverie.
"Is that what I think it is?"
"Probably. The sky was starting to look pretty grim in the west as I was
making my way here." She sat up and jumped off the counter, brushing the
back of her dress. "It is looking pretty dark, now. I wonder if Rakka is
alright. She said she had stuff to do with Ketsu this morning."
"Hmm...." Marie turned her attention back to her tea-making as the kettle
boiled. Yu absently wandered over to a shelf and touched the item that was
sitting there.... A small kids turntable set, the needle arm sitting
tenuously in its half-bent cradle. Yu ran her finger along the rubber ring
of the turntable, itself.
"You know, she wanted this."
"What's that, dear?" Marie asked as she plonked two mugs in front of the
steaming kettle.
"This old turntable. Sa wanted this when we first started working
here. But she never touched it. I always wondered why."
"Everyones' interests are fluid. They move and change with time. Hers
just moved on."
"Like she moved on from here."
Marie paused, then peered out from the backroom. "So, she's told you about
that, has she?"
Yu didn't reply. She didn't even turn to face her. But she didn't have to
see Yu's face to know that she was crying. She took a breath and stepped
out from behind the counter, putting her arms around the girl. Yu did not
resist, pressing her face deep into Marie's front. After a minute, she
lifted her face away and sniffed, wiping her eyes. Marie ran a hand across
her hair.
"Will it always be like this?" Yu asked, softly.
"Like this?"
"Will Sa always be the one who moves on first?"
"I don't know." Marie said, soothingly. "Perhaps she's the one who is
having the most trouble finding her place in the world."
"I don't know." Yu swallowed. "Do you know anything, about Haibane twins?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do they always reach their Day of Flight together, or do they leave
separately?"
"I don't know." Marie shook her head. "I've never met twin Haibane
before. I'm not really the kind of person to ask. You and Sa, you're the
first Haibane I've ever had the chance to know, personally."
"What if she reaches that day before me?" Yu's eyes started to fill with
tears again. "I don't want that to happen. I don't want to be left behind
by her...."
"You'll never be left behind." Marie turned to the picture of her
husband. "When your time comes, you'll know, and understand."
Yu swallowed. "I really think I could do with that cup of tea...."
----o
He stood within the gardens of the temple, alone and silent. Nothing had
been done to him, nothing had been said to him. His actions had gone
completely unpunished. And that, more than anything, frightened him.
For what he had done was a grievous sin. The punishments handed out to
those who had tried, in the past, had been severe. But he had been
conscious and lucid for over a day, now, and could feel, what passed for
life, returning to his body. If not for the bandaged wounds he had
inflicted upon himself, there was little sign that anything had
changed. Nobody had challenged him when he'd left his bed to come out into
the gardens. It all felt very, very wrong.
But for now, there was the glade at the edge of the gardens. The high,
protective walls had provided some shade from the relentless sun, now
disappearing behind the burgeoning anvilhead clouds that would flash within
their dark cores, like angry spirits building themselves up to rain
vengeance upon the world. The trickling of a small stream enveloped the
glade with a coolness and tranquility in stark contrast to the approaching
storm. Here, he had decided to pause and reflect on what he had done, and
why....
And the moment he had heard the gates to the temple open, he remembered
why. There were Haibane entering the gardens, and one of them was HER....
A rumble of thunder spurred him into action, moving quickly and silently
through the trees, bushes, stones and monuments, towards the central
corridor. When, at last, he saw them, he slowed and sidled his way behind
one of the trees, watching as the Haibane were silently lead through by the
Touga whose turn it had been to guard the gates.
The Touga turned and placed the bells of communication on Rakka's wings and
wrists, the girl accepting them readily. All within the temple knew the
Haibane Rakka as well as any of them could. In their experience, few
Haibane had spent as much time within the temple as she. She had even
learned the basics of their sign language, though they wished for it not to
become something she would need in later life.
When the Touga moved to place the bells on the new feather's wings,
however, she shrunk from him, hiding behind Rakka like a protective
barrier. Rakka turned to her and whispered something, then took the bells
from the Touga, placing them upon the new girl the way the Touga had done
so on herself. She then nodded at the Touga, who turned and stepped back
through the gates, closing them behind him.
----o
She stood upon the edge of a large pond and stared up at the giant,
circling wheel. The huge, gleaming white windvane stood alone and
incongruous within the forest, its blades rising above the high treetops as
light was reflected down onto the still water below.
She cast her eyes down to the pond and watched the gentle, rippling flashes
of light, feeling a sense of ease she had not felt for some time. She had
no idea where she was, but was sure the hall had to be nearby, and within
it the red feathers she treasured. They had not followed her here, though
they, perhaps, should have.
She waded into the pond, allowing the water to rise up around her
waist. The water was cool and relaxing: the world and the atmosphere had
become altogether too uncomfortable. She felt the temptation to wade
deeper, until it rose above her head, swallowing her up completely, when
she heard a voice....
"The girl does appear most apprehensive."
She shrinked as much as she could behind Rakka at the approach of the
Washi. Rakka looked away nervously as she felt Ketsu tense up, as if she
were about to make a run for it. The Washi chuckled, shaking his head.
"You would almost think she doesn't like me very much. Ah well, I suppose
that is to be expected. It is the way of things." He paused, resting
himself over the winged staff he always seemed to carry, looking quite
tired. "Though what an old man like myself could do to you, to engender
such fear, is beyond me. It is more than enough that I find the energy to
get out of bed to greet you." He turned his eyes, momentarily, to the
trees before gesturing to Rakka. "If Haibane Ketsu wishes to remain here,
she can." He peered around Rakka's shoulder, at the one eye Ketsu was
willing to watch him with. "Rakka can fill me in on how you are
progressing. Is that alright with you?"
Ketsu didn't respond, either way. Rakka sighed, shaking her head before
leaning back one more and whispering into her ear. Ketsu nodded and, with
a jingling of the bells on her wings and wrists, dashed behind the nearest
rock, stopped and continued her intense appraisal of the Washi. He
gestured to Rakka to follow and they moved away.
Ketsu took in her surroundings, letting out a long breath when she felt
assured that she was alone. Slowly, she slid down the rock, her legs
seemingly exhausted from all the nervous energy she had expelled. She
stared down at the moss on the ground and felt the world become hazy once
more....
She was standing on the edge of the pond. She thought she could hear the
voice of Rakka, calling out to her. Rakka's voice seemed worried,
concerned, for her safety.... But it didn't matter. She was where she
wanted to be.
Staring at the reflected glitter from the large vane above, she was about
to wade out into the pond once more when she felt a hand on her
shoulder. She turned.
The cowled figure she had seen in the hall, when she had first discovered
it, stood silently, holding her back from the edge. For a moment, she
wanted to scream and run, but the figure held up his other hand, and in
that hand was.... a red feather.
She felt compelled to take it from him, and as she did so, the world came
back into focus....
She was sitting against the rock in the temple gardens, clutching something
within her hands. The cowled figure was sitting, cross-legged, in front of
her. She recognised the clothing as belonging to one of the Touga,
covering up any sign of individual identity. The figure silently gestured
to her enclosed hands, and she opened them to see what she was holding.
It was a small, ornate blade, its handle carved and painted with the
symbols of red feathers. It was like a stilletto in miniature, more
decorative than practical. The tiny blade glimmered like the water atop
the pond, and she looked up. Above them whired the vast blades of the
vane, translucent like a ghost. She watched as the vane vanished into the
shimmering haze of the pre-storm humidity.
The figure watched her bleary gaze for several moments before taking her
arm and standing, helping her to her feet. She allowed him to lead her
away from the rock towards the protective enclosure of the glade....
----o
Another rumble of thunder caused Rakka to turn and look back at the rock
where she had last seen Ketsu. That the girl was no longer there came as
no surprise to her. She had seen the Washi's gaze, towards the figure that
was hiding within the gardens. She turned back to the Washi, who had
paused, waiting for her.
"She will be safe." The Washi pointed at the gardens with his cane. "It
was important that they meet. Better now than later, though the result,
for her, would be no different." Rakka wanted to ask him what he meant,
and he noticed. "As I said, she will be safe. That one has no desire
other than to protect her. He knows, all too well, what it is like to go
through the things she is experiencing."
----o
There was once a Haibane named Fune. His name had meant "little boat",
because, in his dream, he had been pushed from one into deep, dark
water. Pushed by someone he knew and thought he trusted.
Fune had hatched from his cocoon near the painting of the Akabane, and thus
caused many to worry about him, greatly. For the painting was a symbol of
the way their previous lives had ended.
In the act of murder.
END OF PART 8
FEATHER 1.0: 1st October - 1st November 2004
----o
DARK DAY FOR ANIME - THE RIGHT DISHONOURABLE MARK A PAGE
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