The library
The wind blew violently as I made my way through the crowded city streets, it seemed to be much cooler than it had recently been, so it was not so uncomfortable to be in a crowd anymore. I looked around myself, at the people all around me, I didn't see their faces though, I only tried to see through them to what they were really. I saw nothing, only a crowd, although that in itself could be enough to frighten many people. I turned my face away from them, away from their happy bustling, and their shopping for petty things which they would soon discard in return for more.
I frowned to myself, thinking that I should have brought Byakuen along with me, that he could have sensed any demons or anything a heck of a lot better than I could, but often I don't think of such things, and besides, he would only have frightened the writhing mass of human beings that inhabited the area. There is little more dangerous than a crowd who thinks the same frightened thought, that is how riots start, that is how wars start. War, I frowned again at the thought, how I hated it, we had fought for so long just to save these pathetic petty human beings, and for what? They only kept wasting all their resources and feeding their own greedy passions. Maybe we should have simply left them to Arago. I squelched that thought as quickly as it had come. I assured myself that the reason we had fought was for the sake of goodness, and for the hope of the future, still the people's terrible greed was evident everywhere I turned, still I resented them for their oblivious happiness. A lot can happen to you when you have to fight each day for what you believe in.
Things had been so difficult for us for so long, and only now were we coming out of it. There were no more Youja trying to kill us, and the threat of Koroi Kikotei was now abolished. We were free now, so why did I feel as if I were more chained than ever? Also why was everything falling to ruins around us? Surely things had not been this way before the wars. I glanced around myself once again, the crowd seemed to be thinning and I could see the litter covering the sidewalks, funny, I remembered this city being so clean before. I did not understand one bit of what was happening, only that we were all being touched by it. Whatever darkness was here seemed to roll over everyone like a cloak of murky tar. I took a deep breath, and coughed, I had not been here for a long time. The exhaust fumes tickled my nose at every breath I took, and the cancerous smell of the smoke of the crowd sank into my lungs.
I began to run, not caring where I was going, or who I ran into, I crossed the street, my pace was slow to me, but fast to anyone else who might be noticing. Even without our armor we still were stronger and faster than any other human. I bumped shoulders with a female traffic cop, catching a glimpse of long purple coloured hair, I continued running. I ran and ran until I was nearly out of breath and then I stopped, a few feet away from the end of an alleyway. I walked the rest of the way and then turned to lean on the wall. I glanced down the alley and took in everything that I saw there as if I were preparing to battle some hidden foe.
There was a trash can at the beginning of the alley on the left side, a few old pages of news paper were scattered around the area, one blew to rest at my feet. I noted the headline of several murders and missing persons about the area. I closed my eyes for a moment as music wafted through the air from somewhere far away. It was coming from somewhere to my right, where there had been an unmarked door on the wall. I walked over to it, and the music was a bit louder. Some sort of heavy dark nearly gothic song, with a loudly mechanical techno beat. The sort of music that you could fall into and never have to come back from. I took hold of the door knob.
The shadows were there, creeping up on me, calling to me in their soft sweet voices, making sounds like something calm and soothing, but not enough so to mask their true intentions. I could feel them calling to me over the soft koto music. I had woken up then, hearing that same music and going out to the balcony to feel the cool breeze and the soft smell of the sakura. I did not like the music that so harshly bit into the night with it's cold notes, but the flower petals floated by and I could fall into the music and forget. I had oh so much to forget. That is the way music is, it can bring up sadness and pain, or it can wash it all away. So much pain.
The next morning I had awoken there, lying on the balcony face up to the sky.
I sighed slightly as I turned the cold metal knob. The door swung inward, and I walked in down the long dark hallway. The cold air from the air conditioner contrasted sharply to the warmer outdoors. I walked onward through the asylum-white hallway, and down the flight of stairs. There I stood before another door. This one was painted with one word. Apocalypse. I opened the door, and the lights and sound flooded over me like a wildfire.
People tend to walk through life not seeing what happens around them. there are very few who ever even notice that they are alive. Humans are that way. There are some of our species who see all that happens and who try to help to stop the greed and the hatred and the demons that pray on us all. The only problem is that we never think to help ourselves. You can't save everyone, I, Sanada Ryou should know that better than anyone. After all, I am only human.