He sat alone on the church steps with only the stars above
for company. The day had been warm, but it was nearing nine
o'clock and the air was finally starting to cool down. The
streets were strangely empty; the heavy silence that usually
accompanied midnight had settled in as soon as the last traces of
the sun had faded beneath the horizon.
The stone steps that he sat on led up to the heavy wooden
doors of an old church. The doors had been shut in some sort of
futile attempt to keep the heat out during the day, but the
windows were open to allow the night air to enter, and the low
voice of the priest was escaping out onto the silent streets.
The figure on the steps closed his eyes, letting a cooling
breeze sweep over him. The lingering taste of the ocean was in
the breeze; it had faded as it had traveled in land from the sea
but still a part remained. Opening his eyes, the boy looked down
at his hands. The blood that stained those hands was invisible to
everyone but him, all those who might have remembered the acts
that spilled it were dead. He alone carried the memory of those
nights. He killed as he lived, always at night. It had been a
very long time since anything had truly tempted him away from the
comfort of the darkness and into the soul-searing light of the
sun.
He lived as he killed, always alone.
~*~
Darkness: Dreams
One: Always Alone
By: Chandra Rooney
darkness@cloak-and-dagger.co.uk
~*~
Revised: May 24, 2001
~*~
His own footsteps echoed on the stairs as Professor Alan
Stone came out of the church. He continued down the stairs and
paused on the one above the boy sitting all alone. The lone
figure showed no intent on moving, but it wasn't necessary. Stone
could have easily stepped around the boy but he didn't.
"Zellar?" he asked instead. "What are you doing sitting
here all alone, my boy?"
The boy stood, wiping his hands on his pant legs before he
turned to face Stone. "I wasn't really doing anything," he
replied, quietly. "Just sitting and thinking, I suppose."
"The church is beautiful inside," Stone said,
conversationally. "Have you seen it?"
"Organized religion and I don't really agree with each
other." The boy stood, and pushed his light brown hair away from
his face.
Stone smiled, and his wise hazel eyes reflected his good
humor. "It seems to be that way with many young people today.
I'm actually glad I ran into you, Zellar, I meant to ask you a
question."
"What is it, Professor?"
"It's a lovely night isn't it?" he asked, as he made a
sweeping gesture, encompassing the streets before the two of them.
"Shall we?" The boy nodded, and the two continued down the stairs
and along the walkway. "My daughter arrived earlier today; she's
very excited about tomorrow. I doubt she'll sleep a wink. She's
so much like her mother in that sense, so very passionate about
the past. Does that seem odd to you, Zellar, a young lady who is
interested in the past?"
"That could be a good thing, Professor," the boy replied.
"If you don't know where you've been you won't be able to tell if
you're walking in circles."
"True, very true. But, Zellar, please call me Alan.
'Professor' makes me feel older than I'd like to admit I am."
"If it makes you feel more comfortable-- Alan. I hear that
you have something big planned for tomorrow."
They turned the corner, stepping past the entry gate to the
small park behind the church. Stone cleared his throat. "Yes, I
wanted to talk to you about that, Zellar. I have plans to go to
the Ryuujin Temple. I thought that perhaps you might like to
come."
The wind ruffled the leaves of a nearby cherry tree; the boy
said nothing in response and the two of them continued to walk in
silence. They crossed the street, passing closed up stores and
darkened houses.
"Zellar?" Stone prompted. "Are you all right? I haven't
said something to offend you, have I?"
The other slowly exhaled, his eyes downcast. He bit his lip,
and then finally looked up. "We've come to your hotel, Alan," he
said.
"Ah, yes," Stone looked at the hotel, and then back at the
boy. "So... will you be coming to the Temple? I'm sure my
daughter would love to have someone else younger than forty
around."
The other smiled that smile of his, the one Stone had come to
think suggested the boy knew far more than the great deal he let
on. "I'll consider it," he replied, finally. "Good night,
Professor." The boy tugged up the collar of his jacket and walked
away, becoming one with the darkness.
*
Professor Alan Stone watched the boy leave. One moment he
was a silhouette against the faint beams cast down from the cloud-
obscured moon, the next gone as if he had never been there.
Stone knew the boy only as 'Zellar'. He'd found him staring
at a fountain in the middle of the town. The fountain was
ordinary enough, an angel pouring water from a jar. The thing
that made him pause was the way the boy had been looking at it.
He'd looked almost angry as he'd gazed at the face of the angel.
Stone had approached him to ask the boy if something was wrong,
and the strange friendship had progressed from there.
He sometimes wondered what had drawn him to the boy in the
first place. The boy was eighteen at the most, while Stone was
over fifty. The generation gap that existed between their ages
should have been enough to create a rift no normal boy would dare
to cross.
Of course, the boy had never struck him as completely
_normal_. Stone saw that more and more as they spoke. He'd first
begun to see it after a few moments in the boy's presence on that
day by the fountain. Stone had disclosed he was an archeologist,
and the boy had informed the man that he was quite knowledgeable
about the history of the town and surrounding area. They'd
discussed legends and old stories, and Stone had been delighted to
see that the boy was by far more well-versed than most of the
'experts' he'd spoken to.
However, despite all the discussions and the time that he had
spent in the company of the other, a part of the boy had remained
distant. Stone knew not where the other was from, nor what had
brought him to this town. He would not speak of his past; he
always found some clever way to get around the questions Stone
tried to ask.
Alan Stone shook his head, breaking out of his reverie. It
was late, and he had a number of preparatory things to attend to
for tomorrow before he could go to sleep.
*
Yamato Zellar walked on, passing through empty streets and
desolate alleyways. He walked through the park and circled back
towards the middle of town. The fountain was running; it was
always running.
He shook his head. "Professor Stone is a good man. He's
been very kind to me but--" He stopped. A cold wind blew across
the square, and he tensed. "Come out."
From one of the darkened side streets a shadowy form crept
forward. "You..." it hissed in a grating voice, deep and
rumbling.
"You are the threat that Yasha speaks of." It was tall and
appeared
to be clothed in a cloak or long coat of some kind. Its body
moved
awkwardly beneath the fabric, as if it was not accustomed to
wearing
anything.
Zellar turned and stared into the black pit that hid its
face. "If you intend to kill me then let's get on with it," he
told it.
The figure tossed off its cloak to reveal a hellish bat-like
demon. Zellar regarded it for a second, then bowed his head.
"Once again," he began softly, "I walk with darkness."
*
An invisible wind blew his hair back from his face, as it
lengthened it changed to a pale blue color. His skin faded to
snow white and his ears became long and sharply pointed. He
opened his eyes, which were now a silver color, as a black five-
pointed star appeared on his forehead. He coldly stared at the
other demon as dark shadows wove around him, fading into the navy
blue cape that swirled out behind him and over his shoulders,
covering his black pants and shirt. A whip wound itself about his
waist.
"Ahhh... The Star of Darkness at last," the demon hissed.
"I have been waiting to see if you are all that your legends
claims."
"State your purpose," Darkness replied coldly. "Waste my
time, and I'll see to it you regret doing so."
"Traitor. Queen Yasha demands your destruction," the bat
demon hissed. "Hell Fire!" It belched black-blue flames that
flared out towards its opponent.
Darkness leapt up into the air to easily avoid them. Coming
down from his leap, he yelled: "Shadow Sword, come forth!" In
his hands, from the very night's shadows themselves, a deadly
sharp black sword appeared.
The demon's eyes narrowed, and it dashed aside. When the
Star's sword made contact with the ground, the demon was already
sprinting off into the darkness.
"Come, Darkness," it taunted. "Let's see who's the faster
one." It disappeared around the corner, heading back towards the
church.
"Oh, good," he muttered. "I like it when they run." He
gripped the sword and began to chase after the demon, his
footsteps pounding soundlessly on the pavement.
He spotted it once he'd cleared the corner; it was waiting
for him across the street in a more human form. Darkness wouldn't
have given the ordinary enough looking man a second glance, but
the creature raised a hand and waved to him, before taking off
again. The Star ignored the urge to charge after it blindly; the
chances of there being a trap up ahead were slim but still worth
considering.
The demon didn't seem to be taking him seriously, but that
could be a ploy to make him overconfident. If experience had
taught him anything, it was that night creatures were often more
dangerous than they seemed.
He let his awareness spread out, seeking the location of the
demon. It was two blocks away and still moving. Apparently it
had not looked over its shoulder to see that nothing was following
it. The demon was actually rather fast, so attempting to chase it
down could prove to be exhausting.
Darkness looked around him and spotted the fire escape ladder
hanging down from the brick building opposite him. He smiled and
grabbed the rung, pulling himself up it, and climbed up onto the
rooftop.
*
Ether couldn't believe his luck. He grinned as he turned
around corner, thinking of how much it would impress his cohorts
in Yasha's guard once they learned that he'd outran the Star of
Darkness.
"He's not so tough," Ether muttered. "He couldn't even keep
up to me."
"Is this what this was? A race?" Ether looked up to see
the Star watching him from the rooftop of the building across the
alleyway. In his hands he held a bow and arrow of misty gray
energy, and the arrow was pointed directly at Ether.
Ether wasn't quite sure what to say. He looked at the bow
and gulped.
"If it's a race you wanted," the Star continued, "you
simply had to ask. I'd love to race you. I might even let you
live if you win." He leapt down from the rooftop, landing beside
Ether. "You know where the park is behind the church?" he asked.
"I'll race you to there."
"Really?" Ether asked. "You're going to let me live?"
"I said _if_ you win." The sword appeared in his hand
again. "If I catch you, I'm going to kill you." Darkness smiled;
it was a cold and slightly unstable expression. "I think you
should start running."
Ether nodded and sprinted across the street. He looked
back over his shoulder and saw that the Star was still in the
alleyway, but another second passed and he'd vanished.
Something cold cut into Ether's shoulder and he yelped as
blood trickled from the wound. He span around to see the Star's
black sword glistening again as it came towards his head. Ether
rolled out of the way and ran down the street.
How could the Star have caught him? Not even Queen Yasha
could move *that* fast! Ether saw the church up ahead. It was
two blocks away, and he could see the dark shapes of the cherry
trees in the park behind it. He looked back over his shoulder and
saw nothing. He looked around at the rooftops and saw nothing.
Maybe he was safe.
The park grew closer; the church was only a block away now.
A sharp pain in his lower back threw him out of step, and he
nearly fell to the ground. He reached back and pulled out a
black arrow. Ether panicked. He didn't see the Star anywhere,
but the arrow proved that the fabled demon slayer had to be close.
Suddenly, his idea to prove himself to his fellow Palace guards
was starting to seem like a suicide attempt.
Desperation, a feeling totally alien to him, crept into
his mind and he raced forward, staking everything on a final dash
towards the park. He passed the church and cleared the gate to
the park, only stopping once he was deep inside the cherry trees.
"I won," he gasped, "I'm safe. I beat him here."
The sharp sword pressed against his throat. "How does it
feel to be the one who's being hunted?" Darkness asked. "To know
that something you can't hope to outrun is watching your every
step? This is how those humans you've killed felt when you
stalked them; they felt this fear of never knowing from which
shadow you were waiting to reach out and grab them."
"I beat you," Ether protested.
The Star chuckled. "I've been waiting here for nearly a
minute now." He shoved Ether forward, and the demon spun around.
The black sword gleamed as it caught the flickering light of the
moon.
Ether turned to run...
Darkness raised his sword and plunged it down into the
back of the demon, slaying it effortlessly and then pulling the
sword out. The thrill of the hunt and kill sang through his veins
as the demon slumped to the ground.
"Shadow, disperse," he said, and the sword vanished as
mysteriously as it had appeared. As his appearance faded back to
normal, so did the joy he'd felt over the killing.
Appearing to be nothing more than human again, Yamato
stared at the demon that lay on the ground. He closed his eyes
against the gasping sounds it made as it slowly died. He tried to
walk away from it, thinking perhaps if he couldn't see it, then he
could act as if it hadn't really happened.
He was nearly out of the trees when he heard its final
choking gasps. He ignored them as best he could, looking down at
his feet. His shoes had been splashed with some sort of black
liquid that had been leaking from the creature's wounds.
Disgust over what had happened filled him; he bent over
double and fought the urge to vomit.
At times like this he wasn't any better. He retched as
nausea overtook him. He wasn't any better than the things he
killed.
*
Morning came and brought the sun with it. The sky was
blue and cloudless; the August heat had not quite reached the
sweltering high it would later that day. Before the hotel, a
group of people was busy loading up jeeps with supplies.
"Dad, where do you want the water jugs?" Tenkou Stone
asked. She looked behind her, black hair falling into her violet
eyes. Her father, Professor Stone, was talking to a local guide
and didn't seem to hear her. She sighed and looked up at the sun,
already high in the sky. "We'll never get to the Ryuujin Temple
before nightfall at this rate."
"Why rush?" a voice asked. She turned to see a boy about
her age of seventeen or a little older. He had a nice face, pale
blue eyes and light brown hair. Maybe he was one of the locals
hired to help navigate the trip. Great, another money-grubbing
'expert guide'.
"There's no where to stay there," Tenkou replied. "If we
don't get there early enough we'll be setting up in the dark."
"And what's so bad about that?"
She gave him an odd look. "Well, I don't know about you,
but I haven't met anyone in this town that wants to be outside
after dark. I _have_ met several people that told me that I
certainly I don't want to be at that temple after dark."
"That's probably true," he looked over at her father.
"Hrm. Professor Stone seems to be having difficulties. But he
can be a difficult man."
"He can be at times," Tenkou agreed. "So, you know my
father?"
"Your father?" his eyebrow raised slightly. "I'm sorry,
you are?"
"Tenkou Stone." She held out her hand.
"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." He took her
outstretched hand and shook it. "You must be the daughter he's
spoken so fondly of. Call me 'Zellar', your father does."
"Really? The Zellar that my father speaks of so often?" she
asked. "You sound like the only person he respects the opinion of
in this whole town."
"I didn't realize your father was so fond of me," he said
softly.
"You're going to accompany us to the Ryuujin Temple?" she
asked.
He nodded. "I'm looking forward to seeing it. It's
supposed to be well preserved."
"Indeed." Alan Stone walked over. "The single most well
preserved temple in this region, yet it's been completely
abandoned, so there's no problem with digging around.
It's an archeologist's dream come true."
"Very true, Professor Stone," Yamato nodded. "Are we about
ready to leave?"
Stone looked pleased. "For someone not sure they were even
coming, you're rather eager, Zellar."
Yamato shrugged. "I guess I found a reason to be."
"Oh?" Stone asked, his eyebrow raising. He chuckled.
"Well, the more the merrier, I say. Let's finish up here, kids,
so we can get going."
"About time!" Tenkou announced. Yamato looked at her
briefly, and she wondered why her cheeks felt so hot all of a
sudden.
*
Tenkou spent most of the ride up to the Ryuujin Temple
sneaking glances at 'Zellar'. He stared out the window the entire
time and barely acknowledged anyone. It seemed a rather different
mood from the one he'd greeted her with.
He'd been so cold and detached since her father had spoken
to them. She wondered if he felts uncomfortable having the boss's
daughter along for the ride.
When they did arrive at the temple, the men immediately
began to set-up camp. Tenkou looked up at the building. It was a
massive construction of faded, weathered stones.
"It's huge!" she gasped.
Yamato looked up at it. "It's just as I remember it-- from
the pictures."
"Do you think it's safe to go inside?" she asked.
"The team that was up here yesterday say it's very sturdy,"
Stone answered, handing them flashlights and hard hats. "It would
take an enormous earthquake to even crack the structure." He
clicked on his own flashlight. "I'm heading in. You two are
welcome to follow."
"C'mon!" Tenkou exclaimed, waving to Yamato. Now was her
chance to get to know him better. So what if he was a little
moody? She'd never seen anyone with eyes like his.
"You want me to go inside there?" he asked, a strange look
on his face.
"Well, isn't that why you came?" she asked, confused. "Come
on, I bet it's beautiful inside."
"But--"
"Well, I'm going in," she announced, grabbing his hand.
"And I want you to come with me!"
"But--" he protested, as she drug him inside. "You don't
understand--"
"I understand that if I left it up to you, you'd probably
stand outside and look angsty all day," Tenkou joked. "Besides, I
doubt my father's paying you to get heatstroke."
He sighed, throwing his hands in surrender. "All right, all
right," he told her, smiling a little. "You win. I'll go
inside." He paused. "Your father would never forgive me if I let
his beautiful daughter get lost."
Tenkou blushed profusely, looking away so he wouldn't see.
*
It was cool and dark inside, almost damp. Despite the
strange dampness, the temple wasn't musty. In fact, it was quite
the opposite. A deep layer of dust covered most of the inner
chambers, but Tenkou had chosen to follow a path that was bushed
clean. She assumed it was the way her father had gone. The stone
of the floor was worn smooth from the travel over it.
"Strange," she remarked. "You think an abandoned temple
wouldn't have a path that looked like it had been used so
recently."
"It's in disuse," Yamato replied, "but it's not abandoned.
Someone may have been in here recently. Certain individuals still
frequent the temple."
"Look," Tenkou pointed to a wall painting, shining her
flashlight over it. "There's the Ryuujin."
He looked at the picture. It was a crude rendition of a
three-headed dragon with a slightly humanoid body shape. Its
heads were spitting flames at the small drawings of people behind
it, as they offered various gifts and sacrifices to it. Ancient
writings were painted on the walls, and he frowned at them.
"These characters don't look like any form of Japanese I've
ever seen," he remarked. "Tenkou, come look at this."
"What is it?" she asked, shining the flashlight into his
eyes by accident. Zellar yelped and threw his hand up to his
face. "Oh my God!" Tenkou dropped the light and put a hand on his
shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Zellar! Are you all right?"
He nodded, brushing her off. "I'm fine. Just caught off-
guard. It doesn't happen that often." He blinked, readjusting to
the dingy twilight inside the chamber. "Tenkou, have you ever
seen a Japanese temple or shrine like this before?"
"No," she admitted. "It's rather... Egyptian in style,
don't you think?" He nodded. "Well, I suppose that would support
one of my Dad's wild theories," she chuckled, leaning against the
wall.
"Which theory is that?" he asked.
She looked surprised. "I can't believe he's never told you
about his theories." She smiled. "My Dad thinks that the similar
artistic themes in describing supernatural and mythological
creatures can be explained by positing that there's only one race
of what he calls 'night walkers'."
"Night walkers?" he repeated. "An interesting name. But
what sort of similarities has he found?"
"That's what all these trips are for," she replied.
"Research to find similarities."
"Couldn't he have studied photographs and collections in
America?"
"My father likes to travel," she said softly. "He's never
stayed at home for more than six or seven months since my Mom
died."
Yamato looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry," he said after a
moment of silence. "It wasn't my place to ask."
She shook her head. "Don't apologize." She looked back at
the painting. "Personally, I don't think this roo-thing looks
very friendly." She looked around at the other wall paintings
along the passageway. "Nope, there's definitely something
different about this placed-- it's almost like it's not really a
temple."
Yamato might have been surprised; it was hard to tell in
the lack of light. "You don't think this is a temple?"
Tenkou shook her head. "Shrines and temples are supposed to
be Holy places. All the ones I've ever been in have this...
feeling to them. It's something in the air, in the way that
people talk about them. When I walked in the park around the
Ryozen Kwan-On in Kyoto, I felt that feeling. I don't feel it
here."
"Numinous," Yamato said, softly.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
"Numinous," he repeated. "It's one of the words for that
feeling that Holy Places have."
"Oh, okay." She looked around the darkened chamber. "Well,
this place doesn't have it. This place feels-- empty. No, it's
more than empty, it's dead." She paused. "This all probably
sounds a little strange to you."
He seemed to take a long time to answer. "The woods around
this place are empty. I was watching while we drove up. There
aren't any birds or small animals around here. I don't think I've
even seen an insect or spider within a mile of here." He paused,
and looked back at the picture on the wall. "Plus, the people
around here don't come near this place. They say it's cursed. I
don't think this is a temple, Tenkou. I don't think it ever was.
This thing they call the 'ryuujin', I don't believe that it's a
kami."
"Maybe it's one of those curse god things."
"Maybe." He didn't sound convinced.
Tenkou shivered suddenly. "Zellar, do you think we could
go back outside? I just... I don't really like the dark," she
muttered, looking at the ground.
He nodded. "I'm sure there'll be plenty of time to explore
later. Mr. Henko probably needs help unloading the supplies."
She nodded and started walking out. Zellar gave the
painting on the wall a final look and then followed her out into
the sunlight.
*
It turned out that they didn't need to help unpack
supplies. It was all done. So they just sat around till Stone
came out of the temple. But that time the sun was about to set.
That's when the trouble started.
It was the local guide, Shou Henko. He and the other
village men hired to help by her father refused to stay at the
temple after dark. Well, all of them except for Yamato. He
hadn't voiced an opinion either way. Ever since they'd come out
of the temple, he'd appeared to be lost in thought. Tenkou was
starting to get a little tired of his rapid mood changes.
"If you want to throw your life away, then you go ahead, but
we will not stay here after dark!" Shou was shouting.
"Why not?" Yamato asked, looking up. "Why exactly?"
"The curse," Shou said. The other locals nodded and
murmured.
"Which curse is that?" Yamato asked. "What is specifically
so bad about this place?"
The men muttered among themselves. "It is not something you
talk about," Shou replied, hesitant. "Simply uttering the words
can bring the curse down upon you."
"If you're leaving," Yamato looked at their faces, "and it
appears that you are, why can't you tell us? You'll be safely
away from the temple by nightfall."
The men seemed to consider this.
"This spot is a place where demons live," Shou replied, but
he sounded like he would have rather kept quiet. "Many, many have
lost their lives. They wander out into the woods after the sun
has set and never return. It is said that Yasha, the Demon Queen,
comes and steals them away to the Nether World."
Yamato looked doubtful. "Yasha herself comes here?"
"Do not mock me, boy," Shou said angrily and turned to Stone.
"I will not risk these man. If you know what is good for you,
you'll come back with us."
"Nonsense," Stone replied. "Leave if you insist, but I paid
you for a week, so you had better be back here tomorrow morning."
"Oh we'll be back," Shou said as he rounded up his men and
began back down the trail to the Jeeps. "But you won't."
"Dad," Tenkou began. Curse or no curse, the Jeeps were
their only means of transportation. "Can't they leave us a Jeep?"
But Stone's thoughts were elsewhere. "Curses," he muttered,
shaking his head. "I knew the people were superstitious, but I
never imagined it was to this degree. It's a very different world
out here, isn't it?"
"Professor," Yamato began, and then corrected himself.
"Alan, it is true that there have been a lot of disappearances in
these woods and around this area. I'm not saying it's the work of
any demon queen, but it might be best to consider returning to
town."
"Nonsense," Stone laughed. "Shall we start supper?" He
looked at Yamato. "Oh, try to lighten up, Zellar. It's rather
disappointing to see you buying into this superstitious rubbish.
There's nothing to worry about; it's just a few trees and an old
building. The dark plays tricks on people's minds and they make
up crazy stories to explain it. There is no reason to be afraid.
There's nothing out in the dark that's going to get us tonight."
Yamato sighed. "There are more things in the dark waiting
to get you than you can imagine," he muttered. No one paid much
attention to him. Stone was already rummaging through the camp
supplies, and the sounds of the jeeps starting up and driving away
echoed through the woods.
"Best to let him have his way," Tenkou said, patting
Yamato's shoulder. "Dad can be awfully stubborn." She shrugged.
"Still, they could have left us a Jeep. Just in case."
*
Darkness fell, turning the temple into a portrait of the
many shades of night. Stone had set off to bed, wanting to get an
early start the next morning, and the deep rumbling of his snores
echoed through the silence.
Tenkou had turned off the camp lights, as her father
complained he couldn't sleep unless it was absolutely dark.
Yamato had built a small campfire, and she was in the process of
making s'mores.
"So... you melt the marshmallows and the chocolate by
putting the other cracker on top and then eat it?" Zellar asked,
giving the s'more she'd handed him an appraising look. "Is it any
good?"
"You've never had a s'more before?" Tenkou asked. He
shook his head. "Well, you don't know what you're missing.
Careful, though, they might still be hot."
He nodded, but still winced a little as the hot
marshmallow squeezed out the back of the cracker and onto his
fingers. "How do you like Gunma?" he asked, after a moment of
silence. "It must be very different from Kyoto."
Tenkou laughed. "Tell me about it. For one thing, hardly
anyone speaks English here. For another, everything seems to shut
down at sundown."
"Gunma is the smallest prefecture on Honshuu," Yamato told
her. "This is as close as you can get to living out in the
country, unless you go to Hokkaido."
"How do you manage to live here and not go crazy?" Tenkou
asked him. "There's nothing to do!"
"I like it here," Yamato replied. "It's peaceful, and there
aren't as many people as in the cities."
Tenkou shook her head. "It's all so compact and small," she
remarked. "I know this is the 'country', but it's still packed
with people. Maybe this curse thing is just some rumour someone
living up in this area spread to keep some personal space."
"I think the only 'people' living up around this place would
be the Tengu," he said, with a wink.
He seemed so much more relaxed; so much easier to talk to,
to joke with. And he really was quite cute. Tenkou hid a smile
by looking up at the nighttime sky. "You can see so many stars
out here," she remarked.
"The Big Dipper," Yamato pointed to a constellation.
"Another thing I like about this place. You can't see the stars
in Tokyo." He leaned back, a small smile on his face. "I think
I'd miss it-- not being able to see the sky."
Tenkou cast a look over at him. Was it just the dim light
of the fire or were his eyes a darker more substantial blue?
Shaking her head, she bit her lip. There was something that her
father and one of the guides had been arguing about earlier.
Something she had wanted to ask someone for an explanation of--
Oh right! "Zellar," she began. He shifted, turning his attention
back to her. "Do you know anything about this 'hoshi' thing that
the locals were talking about when we came out of the temple?"
"I wasn't really paying attention," he admitted. "Can you
recall any specifics? The word 'hoshi' has different meanings,
after all."
"It does?"
"Well, it usually means 'a star', but it's also the word
for 'service', and if the end vowel sound is extended it becomes
'hoshii', which is a desire or a wish."
Tenkou bit her lip in concentration. "I think they meant it
as a star. That's why my father translated it as, anyway. I was
just wondering because the some of the men seemed to be afraid of
it, and the others seemed to be saying it was a good thing."
Yamato said nothing, but he nodded for her to continue. "They
were saying 'kurayamino hoshi'," she continued. "I checked my
dictionary, and it gave the translation 'of darkness star'."
"Customary to say the surname first in Japanese," he
replied. "Hoshi Kurayamino. The Star of Darkness."
"So what is this thing?"
He sighed. "It depends on who you ask. Some people say
it's a demon and others say it's some sort of kami. Some others
say it doesn't even exist."
"What do you think it is, Zellar?"
He regarded her face for a while. "I think that there's
more to the Star of Darkness than anyone knows, and I'm waiting
for the right person to come along to help discover his secrets."
He smiled at her as he stood and brushed himself off. "Well, now
that you've shared your cooking skills with me, and we both smell
like campfire, I'd say it's time for bed. Goodnight, Tenkou."
"Goodnight, Zellar," she called, as he disappeared into
his tent. Then she turned and put out the fire. The flames
seemed to be particularly resilient and she had to stomp a fire of
the embers out. Wasn't that a strange way of answering? Tenkou
shook her head as she made her way to her tent. Something told
her that he knew a lot more than he was letting on.
*
With the fire put out, the shadows around the camp and the
woods
had deepened from dark indigo to black. Even with his keen
eyesight, Yamato was having difficulties moving about in the dark.
He'd already knocked over a pile of supplies, causing what he
feared to be an extremely loud crash. Still, despite his
clumsiness and frustration he refused to let the power of the Star
come forth. It would be too dangerous, if Tenkou saw him or the
Professor.
He could do it without the Star's power, after all. He'd
lived without Darkness before. Oh, but that had been such a very
long time ago, hadn't it? He sighed, shaking the thought from his
head. He needed to focus.
What Shou Henko had said was starting to seem to be true.
Yamato could feel it; this place was cursed. The Temple swarmed
with a dark aura; the shadows that surrounded it seemed to have a
completely darker and deeper shade to them. Maybe this energy was
what Tenkou had picked up on earlier while they were inside. It
wasn't unheard of for humans to be attuned to the aura of a place,
but it was usually after years of discipline.
If she could sense it so easily, then the demonic aura must
be incredibly strong. He looked at the Temple, contemplated going
inside, but thought better of it. Even at night, at full
strength, it was unwise to wander about in places that reeked of
death. Yes, that was it. The place had an aura of death. Many
people had lost their lives within that Temple, the scent of
centuries old blood wafted out from the ancient doorway, reminding
him of the previous night's kill.
Yamato swallowed, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.
It wasn't a good idea to start thinking about blood and death
right now. Instead, he thought back to the wall painting that
Tenkou and he had rested by. The Ryuujin had seemed familiar
somehow, but he was still unable to place from where. At least
the gateway explained how one of Yasha's guards had been in town
last night. The Demon Queen probably had two or three watching
the gateway from the Nether World side.
If one of them came back out again tonight to see why that
last one didn't return... Yamato let the thought trail off,
looking at the flimsy canvas tents that Tenkou and Alan
Stone were sleeping in. A demon could rip through those in
seconds, have the human inside killed and devoured within minutes.
Unless they were in one of those moods to just drag the captives
back to the Nether Realm for more elaborate games. He sighed
softly, and then shook his head, grinning a tiny half-smile. He
supposed Darkness might be needed tonight after all.
Yamato turned his head; the sound of footsteps reached his
ears and indicated that someone was up and walking around outside.
He considered calling out to see who it was, but reconsidered when
he realized that he couldn't be certain it was human. His sense
perception had failed before to demons who could mask their auras.
He backed away from the sound and crashed into another pile of
supplies. The sound of shattering glass and a metallic 'thud'
indicated it had most likely been one of the camp lanterns.
"Zellar?" Tenkou's voice asked. "Is that you?"
At least it was dark so she couldn't see him tripping over
his own feet. If he was going to call forth the Star powers, now
would be the best time before she found him.
"Everything all right?" Tenkou called. "I heard a crash.
Is someone out there?"
Yamato took a deep breath, bowing his head. That part of
his being he tried to bury and forget reached up, welcoming him as
he fell deep into himself.
*
Tenkou stood outside Zellar's tent, peering into the
darkness. Her own inability to sleep had been chased away by her
newfound concern for his well-being. She squinted into the
shadows again, trying to determine where the crash had come from.
Could it have been an animal? No one was responding, but Zellar
had said that he hadn't seen any animals-- Suddenly, she stiffened
as soft footsteps echoed behind her.
"Zellar?" she asked. A small tremble of fear shook her
voice, and she clenched her fists, reassuring herself. "Are you
out here?"
"Looking for someone?" an unfamiliar voice asked.
She turned, peering into the shallower shadows created by the
camp lantern held in her hand. Standing behind her was a boy that
she had never seen before. He had some light colored hair and
eyes that looked like gray. He was lean, tall and dressed in a
black shirt and matching pants. A navy blue cloak swirled around
his boot tops, and it looked like there was something on his
forehead standing out against his pale skin. The stories she'd
heard from the villages and Shou began to take on a new sense of
concrete fear. Was he a ghost, or a monster, or maybe a demon?
Then she heard her father's strong and assured voice echoing
_nonsense_, and she smiled inwardly. Her father's faith in his
own convictions had always given her strength. She unclenched her
fists, smoothed out her wrinkled clothes and met the boy's eyes
evenly.
"Who are you?" She asked.
At first, he looked surprised then seemed to recall
something and nodded. "Of course, we haven't met before," he
said, softly. "The people here call me the 'Kurayamino Hoshi'."
He smiled a little. "However, you may call me 'Darkness' if you
wish."
"You're not going to ask who I am?" she asks. "I guess a
kami would have ways of telling."
He smiled a little. "I know who you are, yes. Miss Tenkou
Stone. Although, I always wondered why you had a Japanese name if
you were a foreigner." He stopped, examining her expression. "My
apologies. It was rude of me to say such a thing."
There was a long moment of silence. He remained at a
respectful distance, and she appraised him. "Your English is very
good," she said finally.
This seemed to throw him off guard. "...Thank you."
"My Japanese is far from fluent," Tenkou continued. "So
it's nice to meet another person from around here that can speak
English so well."
He watched her with those silvery eyes. "Another person?"
She hesitated. "Uh, you are some sort of person, aren't
you?"
He smiled a little. "You might say that."
That smile... Tenkou raised the lantern a bit. "You
wouldn't mind coming a little further into the light, would you?
I can't really see you."
"I'd rather not if it's all the same." He paused. "I'm
sorry, Tenkou, I don't often make a point of being seen."
She paused, her breath caught in her throat, and she forgot
what she was going to say. The way he said her name was so soft
and gentle, like one would whisper a dear friend's. She composed
herself, shaking off the feeling. "Not even if I said 'please'?"
"You don't seem like the kind of woman who says 'please'."
Tenkou blinked. Maybe it was something in his tone or in
the way his demeanor changed, but she suddenly realized that she
knew who he was. She grit her teeth and set the lantern on the
ground. "Okay, joke's over, Zellar. You had me going for a while
there, but I know it's you now. Is this to get back at me for
making you go inside the temple when you didn't want to?" She
closed the distance between them and poked her finger into his
chest. "Or did you just think it would be funny to try and scare
me?"
"Tenkou could you not, maybe, um--"
"Oh, I'm not going to hit you," she laughed, patting his
shoulder. "I mean, it was really clever. I wouldn't have been
able to carry it off, but you did." She giggled again. "We'll
have to tell my dad about this tomorrow morning-- or maybe we'd
better not. He'd probably get upset and lecture us about using
local legends as the basis for practical jokes."
"...How did you know?" he asked finally.
"Changing your clothes isn't going to make me forget who
you are, Zellar," she chuckled, then stopped. "Oh, don't sound so
hurt. I really was scared for a second or two." She snickered.
"Till you started talking. But I would like to know how you got
your voice to sound different."
He sighed. "Tenkou, you have to promise that you won't
tell anyone."
"Why are you acting like this?" she asked. "It's no big
deal, really. I won't get you in trouble with my dad, I promise.
And you can stop doing that thing with your voice," she added.
"It's not your father I'm worried about."
"Look, Zellar, no one is going to be upset because you have
a sense of humor--"
"It's not a joke!" he snapped.
"What do you--" Tenkou started to ask as the moon broke
through the patch of clouds that had been obscuring it, and the
ground was drenched in cool, silvery light.
His silver-colored eyes were narrowed at her, and his mouth
was frozen in a half-snarl. Pale blue hair fell about his
face; the moonlight glinted off his death-white skin in sharp
contrast to the dull black star on his forehead.
She gasped and started to back away, but he sensed it and
reached out, catching a hold of her arm and adopting a less feral
expression. "Tenkou, wait-- please."
"You're not human," she concluded, her voice shaking. "You
were serious."
He nodded, a pained expression on his face. "I wasn't
joking."
"But..." she stammered. "But... you're not-- you're
Zellar... how could you--"
He raised a hand, and her voice stopped. "It's
complicated, Tenkou, and it is something I'll have to force you to
keep a secret." He stopped and shifted his eyes to the edge of
his peripheral vision. "Perhaps we can talk about it another
time? There's something I have to do right now." He let go of
her arm. "Get out of sight and don't follow me, no matter what
you hear. It's very important." He turned with a swirl of his
cape and approached the temple with a look of determination on his
face.
"What are you?" Tenkou asked.
Darkness looked back at her. She couldn't see any trace of
Zellar in that hardened expression, even though the creature had
his regal features and soft, gentle tone of voice. "Something you
should have gone through life without ever having known existed.
I wouldn't hurt you, Tenkou, but there is something else here that
would."
She looked around, stepping closer to him while doing it.
"I don't see anyone."
"It's still inside the temple," he told her, "but it's
coming out." He pointed to the two glints of red in the darkness
of the Temple's entrance.
"Eyes," she whispered, and he nodded.
"I'd prefer it if you stayed behind me," he told her. "You
stand less chance of getting hurt."
Tenkou defiantly stepped up in front of him. "I can take
care of myself, Mr. Darkness."
"It appears you have your hands full, my dear Kurayamino-
san," a feminine voice purred from the temple entrance, in
Japanese. "Are you really going to bother protecting such an
ungrateful wretch?"
He froze and then smiled coldly. "Come to do your own dirty
work?" he asked, also switching to Japanese. "Well, it must be my
lucky night."
The eyes glowed an eerie red. "So, your vengeful desire
still burns after all these years, my dear Kurayamino-san."
Darkness smirked. "You don't forget the one who first
teaches you to grieve, Yasha. So, is it to finally end tonight?"
"Not tonight, dear Kurayamino-san," Yasha replied. "Tonight
will simply be another lesson for you." A beautiful woman stepped
out from the shadows. Long dark green hair framed her face, and
her heavy-lashed gold-red eyes met his. Her black gown was
strapless and long, dragging across the ground. Darkness and
shadows seemed to cling to her, sweeping out from her feet as she
glided forward.
She inspected Tenkou. "Welcome to my temple, little girl,"
she laughed. "A place where many pretty young things have met
their end." She smiled at him. "You remember the last darling
that I stole from you, Kurayamino-san. Perhaps, I should let the
blood of this one drip down my black altar..."
His eyes narrowed. "Shut up! You won't lay a finger on
Tenkou."
Yasha laughed, enjoying how he clenched his fists and grit
in teeth in rage. "I've always thought it was time that you found
a new love, anyway, Kurayamino-san," she told him. "I suppose
she's no Tenshi, but she does resemble the other little girl,
doesn't she?"
Tenkou stared at the strange green woman. "Tenshi? My name
is Tenkou Stone and I--"
"I know who you are." Yasha snapped her fingers, and ropes
of cold shadows encased Tenkou. "And I know what I'm going to do
to you." She laughed as the shadows began to seep into Tenkou.
"Think you can save this one, _chiisai hoshi_?"
The shadow ropes tightened, and Tenkou gasped as the world
faded away.
*
Darkness drove, his hand grasping at the last of the
shadows, but it was too late. They slipped through his fingers
and seeped into the ground. He spun, getting to his feet and
glaring at the Demon Queen as he did. "She was nothing to you,"
he snarled. "Why did you take her?"
"True, she was nothing to _me_." Yasha smiled coldly.
"But she was something to you, Kurayamino-san."
"You bitch," he hissed. "Why do you have to involve
innocent people in your stupid little games?"
She frowned. "Now, now, Kurayamino-san. You should speak
to me with a little bit of respect. I haven't killed your
precious little girl, only detained her. She dreams-- for now."
Yasha crept forward and reached out a hand, caressing his cheek.
"Come, my dearest, is she really that special? You barely knew
this girl, and she discovered your secret. I think I've done you
a favor by removing her."
"Then why haven't you killed her?" he asked, bitterly as he
reached up and caught her hand, removing it from his face.
Yasha smiled. "Why she's bait, of course. We can't have a
battle without bait, dear. You know that." She looked at him
seriously. "You claim you wish to end this little century old
contest of ours and I have always tried to please you." She
slipped her hand from his gasp and stepped back into the shadows
of the Temple. "Come to my throne tomorrow night and we'll have
this battle you so desperately seek. I'll even let the girl walk
away with you if you win."
"I suppose I have to swear myself to you if I lose," he
remarked.
She nodded. "I prefer to keep the traditional terms.
Tomorrow night, my dear, or would you like to have a night to
mope?"
Darkness glared at her. "I'll come to your throne
tomorrow."
"Bring me something pretty." Yasha blew him a kiss as she
vanished inside the temple.
*
The first pink hues of dawn reached up and chased away the
twilight blues of night, then minutes later the golden light of
morning began to flow across the Temple. The boy with the haunted
eyes sat on the stairs all alone. A morning zephyr danced across
the campsite and flickered through his hair.
No scars showed of what had happened that night; no trace
of what had become of Tenkou Stone remained to offer condolences
to those who waited for her in this world. She had become just
another disappearance-- another person lost in the period of
darkness between sunset and sunrise.
The boy on the steps knew what had happened to her. He
alone bore the knowledge and the responsibility. She had not been
the first, but there was hope that she might be the last. The
battle to decide would take place in a palace of darkness where
the fine line between dreams and reality was blurred, sometime
missing completely.
Victory would mean her freedom and his own. Chains lifted,
he might be allowed to move away from this place. Somewhere else
he could live as he dreamed, in freedom and peace. Failure would
only mean he remained a prisoner, dreaming as he lived-- trapped
in darkness and always alone.
*
chisaii hoshi means "little star".
*
8:41 pm 03/03/2000
10:03 pm 07/03/2000
5:48 pm 20/05/2000
10.28pm 4/4/2001
10.09 pm 5/24/01
9.16 pm 7/24/02
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