Manji was quite happy, and had been for the past two years. Two
years ago something special happened: the number one thousand. A
thousand evil men, dead. No more blood-worms in him to patch him up, no
more kessen-chu to keep him alive too long.
Last year, he even got a cold! Coughing, runny nose, the whole
works. He enjoyed it tremendously. Manji could barely remember the last
time he had a cold before that-- easily over two hundred years ago. Now
there was only one thing left to do.
The problem was, Manji never wanted a meaningless death, and over
two hundred years of life only made him more adamant about that. He
wanted to go out with style, with a flash, a bang-- with a purpose.
That was the trouble, you see. Manji was having a hard time
finding something worthy enough to die for. Kill for, no problem-- live
for, same again. Die for though? That was the tough one.
As he walked through the streets of Tokyo, Manji heard a loud
piercing screech, as if from monstrous bird. Looking up, Manji noticed
that it was indeed a monstrous bird, with a rather grotesque parody of a
human head instead of the eagle or falcon's head that should have been
there.
The bird/monster was following a pair of girls who brushed past
Manji and into an alley on his left. Wait, not two girls; one of them
was a boy-- perhaps he works at one of those restaurants where the staff
dresses up as the opposite sex-- or maybe he's just a transvestite.
Manji looked into the alley, and saw the teenaged boy place himself
between the girl and the bird monster, who took up most of the alley's
entrance.
Not all of the entrance mind you. In fact, just enough to--
Manji raced down the alley, and pushed the boy aside as the boy
charged the gigantic bird-monster.
"You'll only get yourself killed boy! Take the girl and get out of
here. Let a professional handle it! I know how to do it properly!"
This was it; this was the chance he had been waiting for. Manji
rushed the creature, ready for its sharp claws and its vicious
beak/mouth lined with teeth. What Manji didn't notice was that he pushed
the boy just a little too hard, in just slightly the wrong way: the boy
landed hard against the alley way, knocking himself out. He was too
caught up in the moment, too caught up in what was going to happen next.
Then, it happened. Pain lanced through his abdomen as the claws
eviscerated his stomach, and wrapped around him like a child holding
tightly to candy. Manji raised his head and smiled. The pain was bad,
but he was used to pain. The boy and the girl would get away, and it
would be all right and he wouldn't have died in vain and finally there
would be an end to it--
Manji opened his eye as the claws squeezed tighter, trying to send
his skull through his skin, and causing him to vomit up blood. The boy,
lying there; the girl, standing there with a horrified expression on her
face, frozen in shock.
No! No no no no nonononono no! This wasn't the way it was supposed
to happen. His death was supposed to buy them time to get away!
With his remaining strength, Manji was able to shout one final
word, one final command. "Run!"
The boy could not hear him however, and the girl did not heed him.
Instead, she made a few quick gestures with her hands which Manji could
not make out in the quickly darkening alley. Something happened to her
forehead though: a line, an eyelid, an eye.
"No! This shall not happen!" the girl commanded, her voice
resonant with a power which belied her young form.
A beam of light came from the eye, and reached into Manji's
mangled chest, and pulled out a glowing orb, which found its way to the
eye on the girl's forehead, and was absorbed by the eye.
The blood flowed back into Manji's body, his bones knitted
themselves together again, his organs repaired themselves, and the
wounds closed over and healed. Not even the faintest trace of a scar
remained by the time his eye again.
End.
Maybe I should have called this the Neverending Story?
Author's Notes: This is too small for author's notes. I'd be much
obliged if you'd tell me what you think about it though
.
(
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