Tenkou awoke to the earliest rays of the sun peeking over
the mountains. The horizon was a blush pink. Clouds colored a
deep red bordered where the sky's violet hues blended into
fleeting indigo.
The dark blue cloak had been draped over her body to act as
some sort of blanket. She looked around the room but was unable
to see much, as the shadows had yet to surrender the room to the
coming morning. Still, Tenkou knew that it was _not_ her room.
The view out of the window was wrong, as it looked out onto the
incorrect mountain and the window itself was too big.
What happened? Where was she? She sat up and looked
around again. She was alone, at least, as far as she could tell.
Still, someone would have had to put her in the bed. Tenkou
raised the cloak and saw that she was still wearing the clothing
she'd had on the night before. The sound of movement from beyond
the room reached her ears, and she quietly got up from the bed,
wrapping the cloak around her as she did so.
Peering through the doorway, she thought she could make out
a human-shaped patch of darkness that was a deeper gray that the
shadows around it. She wasn't alone, but she couldn't see who
was there with her. Whoever it was, they weren't much taller
than she was, and they appeared to be in a kitchen of some sort.
Was she in an apartment? Quietly, she took a hesitant step
forward and then another.
Tenkou got five feet away from where she assumed the figure
was standing before something touched her lightly on the
shoulder. She froze.
"Were you planning on catching me by surprise?" the soft
voice asked, whispering the words directly into her ear. "It's
not a wise idea to creep up behind someone who can generate a
sword with a simple thought. You might get hurt." The light
pressure on her shoulder lifted. "I'm standing beside you, by
the way, because I know you don't like it when people stand in
front of you."
Tenkou's heart did a flipflop. Zellar...
The boy with the dark violet-blue eyes turned to face her in
the fading shadows of the dawn and asked, "Am I too late?"
~*~
Darkness: Songs
Two: Honesty
by: Chandra Rooney
darkness@cloak-and-dagger.co.uk
~*~
Revised: May 2001
August 2001
~*~
It was really him. A mix of emotions overtook Tenkou.
Disbelief. Was she dreaming? Joy. It was really, really him.
Relief. She wasn't crazy. Apprehension. What did she say now?
"Too late for what?" she finally managed to ask.
Yamato gestured to the open window. "It's sunrise," he
paused. "Did you see me in time?"
Tenkou unconsciously reached for the pendant beneath her
dress. "How did you-- Am I dreaming?"
He smiled, meant to be reassuring but it somehow just
appeared as a smirk. "Does it really matter?" He stepped away
from her, walking back towards the darker part of the room. "It
was good to see you again. I'm glad they got the message to me in
time."
Tenkou blinked, frowning as the scene changed ever so
slightly. He was sitting at the table, and the apartment seemed
brighter somehow. " 'They'?" she echoed, unsure if she should go
and sit at the table.
"The Ravens," he said, and his voice sounded different. IT
was the subtle difference between 'Darkness' and 'Zellar' that she
had noticed before.
"You-- talk to ravens?" Tenkou asked. "The large black
birds?"
"The birds talk to Miko," he explained. "She tells me
anything that they've reported to her that might be of importance
to me."
"Miko?"
"Since my decision to come to America," Yamato continued,
"my grandfather has insisted on my having someone around. This is
a less remote location than Japan." He paused. "Miko's not a
servant, if you're wondering. She's free to come and go as she
pleases."
Tenkou tried to clear her head. She took a few steps,
crossing to the edge of the kitchen. "What are you doing here?"
she asked him. "What am I doing here, for that matter?"
"I'm staying here," he replied. He was quiet for a moment.
"I brought you back here last night after you passed out." He
sounded as curious as she was as to why that might have been.
"Have you been here in town the entire time?" she
demanded. "I thought I saw you before, you know."
"I've been in and out of town for the past few months. I
don't recall seeing you," he replied. "If it was me you saw, I
apologize for being too lost in my own thoughts to have noticed."
Yamato pushed his chair back from the table, standing and turning
away from her. He pulled a kettle off of the stove and went to
the sink to fill it with water. Putting it back on the stovetop,
he turned the burner on. "But you're still upset with me," he
said, finally.
"Of course I am!" Tenkou exclaimed, then blushing she
continued more quietly. "I thought I was starting to lose my
mind, Zellar. I thought I was seeing things."
He turned to look back at her, an expression of mild
surprised on his face. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. My friend
told me you were doing fine and that you looked happy."
"Happy?" she echoed, hysteria clinging to her voice. "I've
never been so alone and miserable in my life! How could you
think I was happy?"
He tilted his head to the side, looking at her. "You told
people you were happy. You acted happy."
"It's something I have to do," Tenkou protested. "People
don't want to hear about how miserable you are. You're supposed
to be positive and keep positive people around you if you want to
be happy and successful."
"Perhaps if you stopped trying to be happy and successful
all the time, you'd find you aren't as miserable as you think."
He paused. "Sorry, that was an inconsiderate thing to say."
He was saying 'sorry' a lot, wasn't he? This wasn't how
she'd pictured it. It had gone a lot smoother than this in her
mind. She needed to calm down and try to keep a cooler head.
"It's okay," she told him. "I--" she broke off, shook her head.
"Where have you been?" she asked, softer so as to not sound like
she was scolding him. Something occurred to her. "I did give you
my address before I left Japan, didn't I? I thought I had."
Yamato nodded. "You did," he assured her. "I've been
trying to find out some information about my father." He looked
up, apologetic. "As my mother pointed out to me last night, it
was blinding me. I'm sorry, Tenkou. I should have tried to make
time to see you sooner."
There it was, that apologizing again. Tenkou smiled to
herself. She'd forgotten how moody he was. "It's okay, but I
think we need to talk," she told him. "Something very strange
happened to me last night before you got there."
The kettle whistled. "Would you like some tea?" Yamato
inquired, turning back to the stove. "And, yes, I am interested
in hearing why Requiem had to break out the pyrotechnics."
"I'd like to know who-- maybe what, he is," Tenkou replied.
"Requiem?" Yamato put tea bags in a cup mugs and poured
water into them. "He's a FlameSong."
"Yes, but what's a FlameSong? Is he the same sort of thing
as you?"
"No, I'm not a FlameSong."
"Well, what are you then?" Tenkou asked, sounding
frustrated.
Yamato gave her an odd look, strangely sad. "Sit down," he
gestured to the couch at the other end of the room. "I'll tell
you what I can. You can decide after if it answers your
question."
*
In the center of the boardroom was a rectangular table. Ten
seats surrounded it, but only six of them were filled. At the
head of the table sat a tall man dressed all in black. He looked
bored, inspecting his nails. His eyes were hidden behind a pair
of gray metallic shades. Two golden triangles intersected on his
forehead forming a six-pointed star. His skin was dead white like
paper, and his ears were sharply pointed almost elfin. Three
rings of silver pierced them, and the tips poked out from his
glossy black hair. A stone slab was on the wall behind him. It
depicted a lovely woman before a tree and various runic words and
other lost languages had been chiseled into it.
Tiferet sat in the furthest occupied from the head of the
table. He idly fingered a fresh peach rose, whose color matched
his expensive silk suit.
To his left, a woman with a sharply tailored blue suit
occupied the next chair. She was cleaning a semi-automatic
pistol; the black weapon glistening like wet ink. The woman had
stern red-gold eyes and short bluntly cut blue-green hair. She
said nothing, nor did she look at the other people around the
table. She simply cleaned her gun.
Across the table from the woman was a man dressed in soft,
flowing blue robes. The fabric accentuated the curves of his body
beneath it. Long, flowing green-blue hair cascaded down his
shoulders, and his gaze remained fixed straight ahead, unwavering.
The fixed expression upon his face appeared to be kind, but there
was a shocking coldness in his eyes.
Next to the woman with the gun was another woman. Her red-
gold eyes were clouded over, and she was clothed in green Grecian
robes. A ribbon of the same green was woven into her braided pale
green hair. The golden circlet upon her head glimmered in the dim
light, as she ran her fingers over a crumbling scroll before her,
mouthing out the words she was deciphering.
Across the table from her and next to the elfin man was the
last member of the group. His robes were archaic and gray. His
hair was such a pale green that it was almost white. His hand
rested on the table and he looked at Tiferet with sharp,
intelligent eyes as he spoke. "Brother Tiferet, we are most
displeased with your lack of progress," he said. "You have yet to
produce a suitable vessel for Mother."
"Brother Hokhmah," Tiferet began, "You must be patient.
Mother deserves someone very special. Such a vessel is hard to
find."
"Time runs out," the woman with the pale green braid said,
her clouded eyes staring, sightless, at Tiferet. "You will lose
Mother's favor."
"As we are aware, Sister Binah," Hokhmah told her. "You
need not remind us."
"Why are we squabbling amongst ourselves?" the beautiful man
in the blue robes asked. He spoke quietly, barely audible as his
strained to make his deep voice soft and feminine. "We are not
the enemy."
"I agree, Brother Hesed," Tiferet nodded. "I wish to bring
attention to the fact that a FlameSong accomplice cost me four
very beautiful bodyguards last night. It will take me a long time
to find those to replace them."
"A FlameSong?" the man beside Hokhmah asked, leaning
forward. "Was Darkness with him?"
"What does it matter?" Tiferet asked, annoyed.
The man looked disappointed. "If Darkness was with him,
then we can assume the FlameSong was not there by the direction of
Morpheus," he explained, patiently. "We need more time to prepare
before the Northern Lord begins snooping around." He paused. "I
have heard news that you allowed Hihane into your club, Tiferet."
The others seated at the table turned to stare at Tiferet.
"Is this true, Brother?" Hohkmah asked. "How did the Southern
Thief get so close to you?"
"Your source was mistaken, my Lord," Tiferet replied,
looking at the man at the head of the table. "I dispatched my
bodyguards because I sensed a presence of some kind nearby. There
was no sign of the thief anywhere."
"He was pointed out of a crowd to you by a young lady," the
man replied. "Who you then wrongfully sent your minions after."
"Wrongfully?" Tiferet replied. "I beg to differ, my Lord.
If she was but a human, then why was she protected by a
FlameSong?"
"Thread or Flame," Binah remarked softly, "someone has an
interest in her."
"Perhaps we should learn more of this young woman," Hokhmah
suggested. The woman with the gun snorted. "Is something funny,
Sister Gevura?" he asked.
"This shit is pointless," Gevura replied, venom in her
voice. "We should be looking for Yamato. We ought to hunt the
little bastard down and rip off his limbs one by one." She spat.
"Malkhut and Yesod tried to outsmart the little freak, and he
bathed in their blood. He was only two hundred then, a child-- a
freakin' child." She spat again. "Hod tried to defeat him in
battle, only to be strangled to death with a simple whip. Netzah
tried to appeal to the monster's emotions, but he butchered her
and snapped her spirit like a dry twig. He _is_ a Northerner,
siblings, and we should learn how he came to be. Who cares about
little human who happened to catch the eye of some firebug? And
Tiferet can always find more pretty boys to turn tricks for him."
"As usual, Gevura," Tiferet frowned, "you are unnecessarily
graphic."
"I wish to understand this Yamato better," Binah said. "He
is a mystery that we should seek to solve not bury."
"We will not kill Yamato," the man said, simply. "He is a
vital part of my plans for the future."
"This dependency," Gevura spat, "on our enemies is
revolting."
"He is a Northerner," Binah continued. "A new generation of
a creature we thought to be extinct."
"To openly attack his grandson would bring retribution from
the King of the Eastern Vaults," the man replied. "And Morpheus
is living proof of the power of the North." He paused, then
added. "Yamato's birth and life are foretold in the prophecies of
Avalon. If you act before I allow you to, Gevura, you will find
yourself dealing with not only my anger, but the wrath of Twilight
and Judgement."
"So we can't kill him," Gevura snapped. "Big deal. Let's
just kill anyone he's ever felt something for." She glared at the
faces around the table. "He's _killed_ four of the members of
this council," she snapped. "Am I the only one who thinks it's
about time he was brought to justice for his crimes against us?"
Hokhmah sighed. "It is never that cut and dry, Sister
Gevura," he said, wearily. "There are many other issues at hand
to consider. Our Order cannot simply run about killing whomever
we consider to be guilty of something. We have procedures to
follow."
"Yeah, bureaucratic bullshit," Gevura spat. "All I know is
this isn't the same group I signed on with. You're all going
soft."
"That will be enough, Gevura," the man told her. "You will
learn patience and obedience, or you will not be with this Order
for much longer."
"What if--" Hesed stopped, as he had forgotten himself and
allowed his deep voice to boom across the room. He stopped, an
embarrassed blush spreading across his features when they all
turned to look at him.
"Proceed, Brother Hesed," Hokhmah instructed.
"What if," Hesed continued, once again with his softer tone.
"We take away the ones he loves? Make them not love him? Then he
would have to see them love another."
Gevura smiled. "Why, Hesed, that's brilliant. We can break
him spiritually so that he begs for us to break him physically to
take the emotional pain away."
Hokhmah sighed. "You've missed the point, as usual,
Gevura."
"Tiferet," the unnamed man said. "This girl--"
"Tenkou," Tiferet supplied the name.
"I know who she is," the man replied, coldly. "I want you
to begin working on her immediately. Yamato shows affection for
her, and Hihane is following her around. Clearly she is an
important piece to the prophecy."
"Of course, my Lord." Tiferet replied. "I already know just
the Order operative for the job."
"Very good," the man nodded. "See to it that you begin
immediately."
"What about Yamato?" Gevura demanded. "You can't mean to
just let him run wild."
"Leave Yamato to me," the man replied.
*
"The place where my people come from," Yamato began, "is
called the Vaults of the Heavens. It could be another world or an
alternate dimension, I don't really know. I remember next to
nothing of it, as I was taken from it when I was just a child."
He paused. "There are others from that place here on Earth; those
by choice called the 'Earthbound' and those because there wasn't a
choice the 'Fallen'. Most of what I know of the Vaults, I learned
from these others that reside here on Earth.
"The Vaults are separated into four Kingdoms: East and West,
North and South. The West is ruled by Lord Dawn, and the people
there are called the Stars." He paused. "That is where I was
lead to believe my father came from. My mother is considered
something of a princess of the East. Her people are called the
Ragnarok. The two races are closely related, like cousins
perhaps."
"And the other two kingdoms?" Tenkou asked, taking a sip of
her tea. It was very good, spicy Chai mixed with milk and sweet
honey.
"Gaining information on them is difficult," Yamato replied.
"The Southerners are the Pentagrams, watered down descendants of
older races. A number of popular theories suggest that they are
ancestors to the Stars and Ragnaroks, but just as many say they're
not. I've been told that before the Stars and Ragnaroks existed
the North was home to a thriving culture of a now extinct race.
All that is known of them is the vague references made in the
historical tombs. They were called the Tazo."
Tenkou thought about this. It all sounded very complicated.
"And what about your friend last night, the FlameSong?" she asked.
"Requiem?" Yamato blinked. "Oh, he's something a little
different. Songs are said to be a mix or one or more of the
Kingdoms. Over time they've formed their own species, with
different tribes. A Song's powers relate to the tribe they're
from. Different Tribes have loyalty ties to different Kingdoms."
He paused. "You look a bit overwhelmed."
"It is a little much," she told him. "I sort of thought you
were, you know, the only one of your kind or something. You just
seemed so alone."
"I am in a way." Yamato looked down at his tea. "I'm not a
Ragnarok-- Well, technically it could be argued that neither is my
mother." He shook his head. "And I'm not really a Star. I'm not
a Song, but I suppose I could be a Pentagram." He looked
doubtful.
Tenkou frowned. "Wait-- Ragnarok, I _know_ that word.
It's Norwegian or something." She snapped her fingers. "It's the
Norse version of the apocalypse."
"There's a little truth in every fantasy, since all stories
have to start with somewhere. Humans believed the Ragnaroks could
destroy the world," he explained.
"Can they?"
"They're powerful," he admitted. "But not that powerful."
He paused. "However, they could easily cause enough damage to
make the humans of the day believe that they were."
They sat in silence for a moment. "I had a dream the other
night," Tenkou said, quietly. "I think it was about you and
Nozomi." Yamato looked uncomfortable. "You were together," she
continued. "But I had the feeling you shouldn't have been."
Yamato was quiet for a long time. "When a Star," he began,
finally, "reaches maturity they undergo a period of transition,
during which they make the transformation from child to adult
Star. It's during this period that they first begin to put out
the presence of something more than human." He poked at the
teabag in his cup. "Nozomi found me during mine."
"Yasha said Nozomi was a Star," Tenkou recalled.
"Yes. She was a daughter to an important Earthbound
family," he replied. "It was very disgraceful for her to be with
me."
"Why?"
He didn't look at her as he spoke. "Because I had no
family, for one," he replied. "No land or power for her to rule
over. I wasn't in her class of people. Secondly, because it was
becoming apparent I wasn't a Star."
"The spiral marking," Tenkou said quietly. "And your ears
and skin."
"How do you know about my mark--?" Yamato shook his head.
"I suppose you saw it in your dream." He sighed. "I can appear
as a Star, even as a Ragnarok, if I wish," he told her. "But my
true form is of neither."
"Did you think Yasha was like you?" Tenkou asked, carefully.
"Since she doesn't really look like a Star?"
He looked angry, but not at her. "I was naive and scared.
I didn't think I deserved someone like Nozomi. Yasha found me
easy to manipulate." He paused. "I still don't know why she did
it. I doubt love was the reason. One night Tenshi-- Yasha asked
me to come up to the temple with her. You heard what she said in
her palace. I couldn't believe she had lied to me. Nozomi
stopped me from taking my own life, but at the cost of hers." He
looked off into the distance. "I don't know why Yasha wanted me
to kill myself. Anything she asked of me, I would have done. I
was young and stupid." He paused. "I still am."
"Zellar, how old are you?"
He blinked, caught off-guard and then frowned again.
"1716, 1816, 1916," he muttered, and she watched him fold a finger
down after saying each date. "Ninety-nine minus sixteen is
eighty-three--"
"Zellar," Tenkou interrupted, awkwardly. "You do know how
old you are, right?"
"Well, assuming that I was around twenty at the most that
night at the temple-- Four-hundred and three." Yamato sat back.
"Give or take a few years."
Tenkou blinked. "You're really..." she trailed off.
"Old?" he suggested.
"Yeah."
"Well, if it puts you more at ease, I've been killed about
four times." Tenkou stared at him, open-mouthed. "Didn't stay
dead," he added, a mischievous twinkle in the depths of his
violet-blue eyes.
She opened and closed her mouth a few times before words
actually came out. "You mean that Hod _killed_ you?"
He nodded. "Put that spear of his right through me. Hurt
like hell. Unpleasant business, dying is."
"You're serious, aren't you?" Tenkou asked.
"I don't joke about death," Yamato replied, softly. "You're
like her-- Nozomi," he said, quietly. "You don't look like her,
but the two of you are still similar. I don't know if that's a
good thing or not."
"She really loved you," Tenkou remarked, quietly. "Enough
to sacrifice herself for you. That's, I don't know it's--"
He shook his head. "Death is not romantic. Sacrifice is
sacrifice, and romance is something else."
"I was going to say it was scary." Tenkou fidgeted. "But
it seemed rude." She paused, looking down at her hands. "And you
don't seem like someone who scares easily."
Tenkou looked up to see that Yamato was staring past her out
the window. "I'm not," he said simply.
Silence fell over them. The sun rose higher above the
horizon, dawn giving way to daylight. Sounds of the city
awakening drifted in through the open window. A dog barked and a
bird cawed from somewhere in the distance.
Tenkou looked back up to see that Yamato had moved. He was
standing by the open window, staring out across the neighbouring
rooftops. The bird cawed again, and the firm line of his mouth
turned downwards, becoming a displeased frown.
"You're missed at home," he said, without turning from the
window. "A man-- your father, I would presume, is in the house.
He's looking for you."
Tenkou stood, abruptly. "Oh no! Dad got back from Egypt
this morning. I was supposed to be waiting at the house for him
with breakfast." She wrung her hands. "How could I have
forgotten? It was marked on every calendar and there was a post-
it by the front door and a message on the freezer door--" She
broke off. He was smirking again, but that seemed to just be what
his smile naturally appeared on his face as. The morning light
caught his profile and played off his bare chest.
Tenkou's cheeks grew hot. She looked down.
"You've been through a lot," he told her. "It's
understandable that certain things might slip your mind." He
shook his head and stepped past her, pulling a white dress-shirt
off of the counter by the sink. He slid his arms into the
sleeves. "I'll leave you for a few minutes, then I'll take you
home if you like." He paused, his hand on the doorframe, and
turned to look over his shoulder. "There's a bakery nearby. We
could stop, if you wanted." He nodded and then stepped outside
the door, shutting it softly behind him.
*
The tiny girl was waiting on the other side of the door.
She tackled Yamato as soon as he shut it behind him, wrapping her
arms around his waist.
"You were with a girl last night!" she declared, voice too
husky for her tiny frame. "Oh, Master Yamato, I'm so happy for
you!"
Yamato blinked, shaking his head and little. Then he sighed
and patted her gently on the head. "It wasn't like that Miko.
Honest."
Miko stepped back, looking up at him. She bit her lip, her
small hands fluttering about her as she gestured wildly. "But,
Master Yamato, it was _all_ night!"
"Miko, shhh!" he hissed.
Her grey eyes glistened with mischief. "Oh, I see. She's
still in there, isn't she, Master Yamato?" She tilted her head,
peering up at him from behind her dark green bangs. "You're being
very naughty in there with her, aren't you?" She poked him in the
chest. "You can tell me, Master Yamato, I can keep a secret."
"_Miko_--"
"Is she prettier than I am?" Miko asked, ignoring his
protests. "Is she? I know you'd never settle for anything less,
Master Yamato. You have such _exquisite_ taste. She must be
witty and charming, and _very_ sophisticated. She's brave, too,
isn't she? Does she fight? May I challenge her? If she loses
will she be upset and leave?"
Yamato sighed, shaking his head. "Miko--"
"She does fight, doesn't she? You can't have some weakling
that constantly needs defending, Master Yamato! A warrior such as
yourself should settle for nothing less than a Valkyrie's spirit
in a mate. She must be beautiful, you can't be the prettiest
member of the couple, it would just seem _wrong_. Is she a
priestess? Can she do divination? How long have you been seeing
her?" The door creaked open, but Miko didn't notice. She
continued cawing away. "When are you going to introduce her to
your mother? Have you been introduced to her family? Are they
honourable? Will your union create a pleasing alliance? Have you
consulted the--" she gasped, breaking off.
"Tenkou," Yamato said, as Miko struggled to breathe. "This
is Miko. Miko, this is Tenkou Stone."
Miko turned to see Tenkou standing in the doorway behind
her. The tiny girl only came up to Tenkou's shoulders, but what
she lacked in height she made up for in enthusiasm. She fiercely
hugged Tenkou as she had Yamato.
"Oh Mistress Tenkou it is _so_ good to meet you!" She
bubbled, overflowing. "I cannot wait for the joyous day when you
and Master Yamato are joined in marriage."
"Marry?" Tenkou repeated, a deep blush spreading across her
cheeks. "Him? Me? Now?"
"We're not losing a master, we're gaining a mistress," Miko
nodded to herself. "A perfectly wonderful mistress who will make
Master Yamato _very_ happy. Oh, this is simply perfect. I _must_
tell Lord Morpheus at once!"
"Wha-- wha--" Tenkou stammered. "Zellar, who is this
girl?"
Miko giddiness faded. Her expression hardened, and her eyes
narrowed at Tenkou. " 'Zellar'?" She fluttered her hands again.
"What? What? What? You dare to call Master Yamato by a vulgar
_human_ name in his own home? Have you no manne--"
Yamato clamped his hand over her mouth. "Miko-chan, that's
_more_ than enough. You'll make a bad first impression."
Miko bit his hand. Yamato yelped, yanking his palm away and
shaking it. "She's a human!" Miko pointed at Tenkou. "A nasty,
rock-throwing _human_ girl!" The tiny girl whirled around,
looking at Zellar with quivering lips. Great tears began to roll
down her cheeks. "Oh, Master Yamato! You insist on disgracing
yourself yet again!"
There was a sound of fluttering wings, and Miko disappeared
in a small cloud of black feathers.
"What... was... that?" Tenkou managed, as a feather floated
down onto her shoe.
He sighed. "She's actually a very sweet creature, she just
_hates_ humans."
"Well, that's going to cause problems for me," Tenkou told
him, folding her arms. "Seeing how I'm human and all."
"Well, yes." Yamato smiled. "It might be best if we left
now."
*
Tiferet smiled as the door opened and the blond-haired boy
peeked inside. "Ah, there you are," he waved for the boy to come
forward. "I'm glad you came so promptly."
"What is it now?" the boy demanded. "You've thought of
another favor that you need done?"
"Come now," Tiferet gestured for the boy to sit down.
"Don't ruin that handsome face of yours by getting angry. You do
want to repay your debt to me, don't you?"
The boy sank into the chair opposite Tiferet. "What do you
need this time?" he asked. "Robbery? Sex?"
Tiferet laughed. "Both. The pretty little dove you brought
to my club last night."
The boy shook his head. "No. I don't want to. And she
clearly wouldn't go for it."
Tiferet leaned forward. "You're mine, little guitarist," he
warned, grabbing the boy by the chin. "I own you. I want you to
develop a very intimate relationship with this Tenkou Stone. I
want her to be unable to function without you. Do you understand
me?"
"She's not my type," the boy replied. "Plus, there's
somebody else on her mind. I can tell."
Tiferet leaned back as he released the boy's chin. "She's
beautiful, isn't she?"
The boy blinked. "Tenkou? Yeah, she's pretty nice as far
as girls go."
"Surely you want her." The boy said nothing. Tiferet
smiled. "I know of the other boy that is on her mind, and I also
am aware of a very ancient and arcane bit of knowledge that would
give you the power to compete against this other man for Tenkou's
affections." He paused. "But you must want it. It's a change
that cannot be reversed."
"Why are you offering it to me?" the boy asked.
"Because you're so beautiful, my precious find," Tiferet
told him. "I'd like nothing more than to make you as happy as
having your beauty around makes me."
The boy chewed his lip. "I don't know if that's a good
idea," he began.
Tiferet placed a hand on the boy's knee. "Trust me,
Matthew."
*
Her father was happy to see her. Yamato had declined the
offer to come inside, politely. He didn't think it was a good
idea that her father saw him, and Tenkou had to agree. Until they
could think of what to say, it would have to just remain a secret
that he was in town.
"Rose was so disappointed that you didn't come with me,"
Alan Stone was saying, interrupting his daughter's thoughts. "She
went on and on about how she wished that you were there."
"Did you tell her I had collage?" Tenkou asked, looking down
at the cup of coffee in her hands. She shouldn't have let Yamato
talk her into getting a cup. It made her too jittery.
"It didn't matter to her. Paul was heartbroken," her father
continued, taking a bite of his danish. "I think he spent the
better part of the dig moping and sighing. Why didn't you and
Paul ever date?"
Because Paul was a complete ass and a sexist pig. She made
a face. Just thinking of Paul brought a bad taste to her mouth.
"Tenkou?" Stone repeated. "Are you all right?"
Tenkou blinked, looked up, blushing. "Sorry, Dad, I'm just
a little tired. You were asking about Paul?"
"It doesn't matter." He ate the last piece of the danish.
"An excellent breakfast. Where did you say this bakery was?
We'll have to go there next time we get a craving for something
sweet."
"Oh, it's in that new development area, on the way out of
town. You know, the one up behind the mall?"
He father nodded. "We'll have to take a drive up that way.
Things have changed in the six months I was gone."
"Yes--" she stopped, the phone ringing shrilly behind her.
"I'll get it." Tenkou pushed back from the table and walked into
the kitchen. She picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Oh, Ten-chan, I'm so glad you're safe," Rekki said,
breathlessly on the other end of the line. "When I heard that you
hadn't come home last night, well, I just thought the worst, you
know. Then I snapped out of it and thought the best."
"It wasn't anything like that, Rekki," Tenkou sighed. "My
Dad just got home this morning."
"Oh, so you can't talk about where you were all night
then?" Rekki asked. "Was it with that Matthew guy? It wasn't
with that Matthew guy, was it? Eww, Tenkou, you can't tell me
that he's your dream guy."
How had Rekki heard that she was out all night? Tenkou
wondered, briefly. And how did she know about Matthew?
"Hey, anyway, I just got my schedule cleared for the day,"
Rekki continued, "you wanna go shopping? I mean, if you don't
want to because your Dad just got home-- but there's this big
sidewalk sale going on downtown. Suki's is going to be in it, so
maybe we can finally afford to shop there, ne?"
"I don't know," Tenkou repeated.
"If there's something you want to do today, dear," her
father called from the dining room, "you go ahead. I'll probably
just try to get over my jet lag."
"Was that an okay from the parental figures that I heard
being administered in the background?" Rekki asked.
"Yes," Tenkou replied. "It was."
"What time should I come and get you?"
Tenkou looked over at the digital clock on the microwave.
It read 10:01 am. "Come around noon, okay?" she replied. "I need
a while to get cleaned up."
"Sure," Rekki replied. "Try to stay home long enough for me
to get there."
*
Someone was not pleased with him. Yamato could tell as soon
as he stepped back inside the building's lobby. There was a heavy
presence clouding his eyeless sight, and the air itself was thick
with disapproval. Yamato pushed through it, not allowing the
annoyance to show on his face or in his mind.
He rode the lift up to his floor and opened the door to his
flat. It was only after he'd stepped inside and shut it behind
him that the figure at his table spoke.
"I told you not to see her again, Darkness."
Yamato gave him a polite little bow of his head. "Good
morning to you, Sir." He smiled. "I trust that this morning
finds you in good health, Daylight?"
Daylight frowned; his dark silver eyes regarded Yamato with
distaste. He pushed at his dark hair. "Where have you been,
Darkness?" he asked, ignoring the pleasantries. "You know you are
to report your coming and goings in my territory to me."
"Would you believe me if I said I was just about to do so?"
Yamato asked.
"Are you deriving pleasure from being rebellious,
Darkness?" Daylight asked. "I thought you were more mature than
this. It's so disappointing to be proved wrong again."
"I'm a little out of practice," Yamato replied. "Having
spent so much time in Japan where I could live my own life."
Daylight stood, his eyes blazing. "Start listening to me,
Darkness," he hissed. "I'm in no mood for this. You have
deliberately disobeyed me. I forbade you to pursue this little
quest of yours." He paused. "And you've been speaking to humans
again." Daylight stood, something silver clenched in one of his
fists. "There are rules, Darkness, rules which hold our worlds
together. You're tempting fate, playing with destruction, toying
with the order of things by bending and breaking those rules."
His expression might have been sympathetic, but there was no
kindness in his hard eyes. "Humans have their own world. They
have no place in ours. Such is the way things are. Do you really
have so little respect for the Kingdom?"
"It is your Kingdom, Lord Daylight," Yamato replied. "The
Earth has always been my home."
The coil of silver fell from Daylight's hand. "Are you
Fallen now, Darkness? Do you think you are above the rules?"
Daylight walked forward, the silver chord trailing on the floor.
"It's always been your greatest fault, Darkness, your damnable
pride. You and your mother-- she wouldn't bow down before another
to save her own life."
The comment stung. Yamato backed away. Daylight was in a
foul mood and looking for someone to take his anger out on.
"You have no right to think of yourself as being higher than
any other Star," Daylight hissed. "You are no god, no lord, you
are naught but a disobedient young Star who refuses to listen. It
pains me to have to punish you, Darkness, but you seem to relish
even that." The silver whip danced across the floor. "So, I have
decided to approach this act of punishment in a different
fashion."
Yamato's eyes widened. This wouldn't be the first time the
elder Star had taken his hand to Yamato-- but Yamato had never
been whipped before. Daylight must have been feeling particularly
vicious. The irony of using his own weapon against him was
something the elder Star would appreciate.
Daylight flicked his wrist. "Turn around, Darkness, and
remove your shirt."
Yamato turned and undid the buttons on his dress shirt.
The cotton fabric tumbled to the ground. If he resisted Daylight
would find something worse to do to him. The only option was to
bare the punishment and hope the other grew bored quickly.
Behind him, he heard Daylight draw his arm back and bring the whip
forward. The leather struck his back, stinging. He clenched his
teeth.
He wouldn't flinch--
Snap! Another sharp sting.
That only provoked Daylight--
This time the leather bit into his skin.
He had to be perfectly still. Like a statue--
The leather struck again.
No matter how much it hurt, he had to remain still as
marble. It was just pain. He could bury it down deep and bring
it back when he needed to fight.
Daylight paused, switching hands. There were a few seconds
of rest. The air brushed Yamato's back, igniting the small fires
within the lashes.
It would be over soon, he told himself. Just a little
longer. Daylight drew back the whip again, and Yamato could hear
it sing through the air.
The new voice caught him off-guard; he didn't even feel the
whip touch his back that time.
the voice continued. There was a pause.
But-- Yamato winced. Daylight was lord of the Earthbound
Stars, to oppose him was to be marked for death.
the voice asked.
No. He wasn't. Yamato turned around and grabbed the whip
as it came towards his face. He caught it, holding it in the air
like kite string. Shock played across Daylight's face.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"That's going too far," Yamato told him, simply. "There
will be no more. Not today or ever again."
"Pardon me?" Daylight asked. "Are you telling me what to
do, Darkness?"
"My name is _Yamato_," Yamato said, softly. "My father gave
it to me. You are the one who named me Darkness."
"Damnable creature," Daylight hissed. "You are Darkness, a
stain on the light of this family."
Yamato laughed, a bitter sound, choked and devoid of humor.
"You know nothing of darkness, Daylight. You think the night is
dark? The night is nothing compared to the endless dark of
Judgement. There is nothing after the judgement, only darkness
for always and forever. Darkness is nothing. You think I am
nothing. That is your judgement, isn't it?" He wove the thread
of the whip around his finger. "Who are you to judge me?" he
asked. "Only the Sacred Flame has the right to decree who is
bound for darkness."
Daylight's grip on the whip faltered, and the handle slid to
the ground. "Dark-- Yamato, listen to yourself. You're scaring
your Sire." He pulled at a chair from the table. "Come, sit
down, Yamato. You've had enough for now."
"My Sire?" The laugh echoed through the room again. "Do
you really think you're my father, Daylight? The look on your
face makes me think you almost could." He tugged the whip,
coiling it in his hand. "Go away, Star, I don't want to see you
look at me that way-- like you could give a damn if I lived or
died."
Daylight stepped back from the chair. "You're very lucky
that it is me and not one of your hhuman girls who sees you when
you're this way." He walked past Yamato, very cautiously. "I
will visit when you've returned to your senses, Yamato. For now,
I will go. But we will speak again. I'll find a way to make you
a Star, Darkness."
Daylight walked out the door. Yamato looked at the whip his
hand and then threw it across the room. It struck the wall and
bounced off. He growled, pushing his hair off his face. He
pulled out the gauze, and he began to dress the wounds on his back
as best he could. Then he looked back at the room. A splash of
silver touched the wall and floor near where he had been standing.
The paint on the far wall was bruised off from the impact of the
whip.
the voice instructed.
Yamato nodded, moving towards the bed. He hadn't slept in a
while. It would be good to rest for a bit. His head barely
touched the pillow on the bed before he was asleep.
*
The garden spread out around him, a seemingly endless sea of
flowers and green that reached towards the distant horizon.
The stars burned brighter and younger than they did in the Earthy
sky. The stars of this garden were eternally young, as the
flowers were always blooming with the warmth of spring carried on
the faint breezes.
The path stretched out before him, as he stood at the
beginning. One who had stumbled upon the garden could walk the
path until the end of time and not see another being, lost amongst
the flowers in the world of forever twilight. It was a place of
danger, for all that ever could be dwelled within it.
He waited. Time had no meaning to the master of the garden,
so those who wandered the path could not know death. He waited.
He breathed in the smell of life and felt the breeze on his face.
The garden was a place of peace, for those who visited were
granted the peace of its master; the feeling of everything being
exactly as it needed to be; the perfect Zen of the present.
"Yamato," the voice behind him said, and Yamato turned.
The man behind him had short blue hair, with a long swatch of
orange fringe. Long indigo colored hair-twists trailed behind his
right ear. Eyes the color of mulberries stared off into the
distance looking at something beyond the horizon. Upon the man's
forehead was a small dark blue spiral marked by four smaller
circles of the same color. Small dark blue points jutted from the
corner of his eyes. He was dressed simply in dark denim jeans. A
silver ribbon was wound about his torso and arms, a blue denim
shirt open over the ribbon. His golden-feathered wings spread out
behind him, the wind teasing his wingtips. The golden flames
flickered and danced about his wings casting strange shadows over
his face and shoulders. The man stood at the beginning of the
path, where he was meant to be. It was true he wandered further
down the path when he was needed to, but the beginning was where
he was most likely to be found.
He smiled. "Asking questions of your beginnings to everyone
but the most obvious choice," the man remarked, his voice musical
and filled with universal harmonies.
"I had no idea of how to reach you, Lord," Yamato replied.
"All of speak of you say you choose your meetings, for reasons
never known until long after."
"No one sees a beginning as a beginning until after it's
begun," replied the winged one, cryptically. "You fear what the
path holds for you."
Yamato looked away down the path. "I heard someone," he
replied, softly. "It wasn't you--"
"It wasn't Judgement."
"Then who?"
The winged one sighed. "Once the truth is known, it cannot
be unknown," he replied. "But at this crossroad I must guard what
you are told carefully, Yamato. It's nothing personal, you
understand. I just want you to make the decision on your own."
"Why have you brought me here then, Twilight?"
Twilight smiled, his closed fist outstretching towards
Yamato. Palm upright he opened his hand. Floating above his palm
was a single feather. It was the same brilliant gold color as his
own, but it seemed to shimmer with an iridescent silver sheen.
"To give you a hint of where to search for your answers," he
replied. "Go on, take it."
Yamato reached forward. His fingers closed around the
feather. "But for which questions?"
Twilight's smile grew. "All of them."
*
Yamato moaned as he regained consciousness, and he tried to
roll over. Small, but strong, hands shoved his face back down
into his pillow.
"Master Yamato, you must _not_ move," Miko told him,
sternly. "I have to dress these cuts on your back."
He moved, shifting his arms so he could rest his chin on
them. "While I appreciate your concern, Miko, they're already
heal--"
"I said I'm dressing your back!" Miko snapped. Something
cool touched his back, then it was followed by soft little touches
placing wrappings on the wounds. Miko's fingers danced across his
wounds, fluttering like wings, gentle as feathers. "The skin may
have healed over, but they're going to still be tender." She
paused. "Imagine, taking a weapon to you. Who does he think he
is?"
Yamato sighed. "Miko, don't. It's his right to punish me.
I broke his rules, the rules of Star and human conduct, by
allowing Tenkou to see me after he'd forbidden it. I brought her
to my home-- I broke the conditions of residing in his
territory."
"His territory. Bah." Miko tapped his head. "You can turn
over now, Master Yamato."
He did so, sitting up and looking at the little Raven girl.
Miko was folding up various extra pieces of cloth and picking up
her bowls of herbs and powders. Her simple black clothing brushed
the white linen bedsheets, a visual display of contrasting
extremes. She looked up, her dark green-black hair had been
pulled away from her face, and it was easy to see how her grey
eyes were darkened with concern.
"Master Yamato," Miko held his gaze, "you're a very foolish
creature if you think you can side-step the truth with a Raven.
I am well aware that Miss Tenkou is _not_ just anyone."
"You're reading too deeply into this, Miko," he told her,
looking away.
"I've saw how you looked at her, how you smiled that special
little smile for her." She stood, walking away from him and
returning her bowls to the kitchen area. "I only hope she does
not hurt you by spurning your affections."
"She wouldn't spurn my affections," he snapped, not quite
sure why.
Miko giggled from the kitchen. "Master Yamato, you are
handsome, and you can be charming when it suits your purposes--
but this little girl has no idea of what you're really like."
"_I_ don't even know what I'm really like, Miko, I was never
given the chance to find out." He paused. "Did you know my
father, Miko? My real father."
She returned and tilted her head. "Your father?" she
repeated. "It seems strange you believe I would know of such
things."
"You were my mother's raven before me," he replied.
"Ah, but it is in poor taste to reveal what my Lady may have
told me in trust," Miko replied.
"Could you at least tell me if she ever spoke of him?"
Miko nodded. "That I may, Master Yamato." She paused,
recalling. "Yes, she spoke of him sometimes-- just his name and
then she would sigh and fall into periods of silence, until she
would shake her head and return to her duties."
Yamato nodded, turning his head to stare out the window.
"Master Yamato? I have something for you." She pulled a
slip of paper out of the fold of her sleeve and handed it to him.
"I kept Daylight from finding this."
He took the paper from it. Seven digits were written on it,
and a single name written above them. He looked at Miko.
"Is this what I think it is?"
"Apparently she wishes to pursue this," Miko replied.
There was the flutter of feathers and the raven perched carefully
on his shoulder.
"Hm," he looked down at the paper in his hand. "I much
prefer being the one doing the pursuing."
"That's because you're impatient," Miko cawed. "Have you
any further need of me, Master Yamato?"
He looked back at her. "You're going to report what
happened, aren't you?"
The raven bobbed her head. "Council has been called," she
replied. "I will be gone for a few days. Will you be all right?"
He nodded. "Good." The raven flew to the window, perching on the
sill to turn back once more. "Weaver keep you, Master Yamato."
"Thread and Flame keep you, Miko," he remarked, quietly.
The raven cawed then swooped from the open window. The
black bird soared above the rooftops and vanished into the blue of
the afternoon sky.
Yamato stood to make his way to the living room and the
phone but stopped as he noticed something shimmering from the
corner of his eye. Turning back to the bed, he saw the gold
feather glowing softly upon the white sheets. Reaching down, he
took the feather in his hand and lifted it up to the light from
the open window. The feather shimmered, glowing with an ethereal
silver flame.
"All you do, little feather," he remarked, "is generate more
questions."
*
Tiferet smiled as he pushed open the heavy doors. Beyond
them lay the boardroom table and the stone slab that he was
primarily interested in. He strolled leisurely up and placed his
hand on its weathered exterior surface.
"Mother, dearest," he smiled. "The first of the tasks you
have assigned is successful." He caressed the stone. "We shall
crush the Northerner called Yamato and gain a powerful servant in
the process."
the cool feminine voice resonating
through his head.
"Ah, yes, the matter of the vessel," he nodded. "I have a
most ingenious plan concerning that matter. If you would spare me
a moment of your time to confer with you, Mother Kabbalah--"
Kabbalah told him, shortly.
"Undermine my dear family members?" he swallowed. "Surely
you jest, Mother, I would never dare such an act."
Kabbalah paused.
"Why, Mother, it is very important that I know your feelings
about the hostess that I chose. I wouldn't want to choose someone
inappropriate." He noticed a piece of lint on his suit's cuff and
proceeded to flick it off. "I have a feeling that you'll see the
sheer brilliance in the choosing. It ties up the loose ends into
this ravishing bow."
Kabbalah sounded bored.
Tiferet smiled. "The girl is named Tenkou Stone," he told
Kabbalah. "I believe you know of her already. She is the latest
object of Yamato's affection."
There was a moment of silence, and then Kabbalah's voice
came into his head again.
Had Hod and Neztah planned to break the girl in preparation
to make her a vessel? Tiferet scowled. He'd thought it was such
an ingenious plot, but to discover he was not the first to
attempt--
Kabbalah continued.
"I needn't worry, Mother, for I am not going to take his
pretty little girl by force. She is going to willfully give
herself to our cause," he told her, proudly.
He nodded. "Our soon-to-be brother is going to see to it
personally."
*
miko: shrine priestess
4.16 21/8/00
12.41 24/8/00
8.45 19/4/01
9.59 22/5/01
9.36 pm 25/5/01
10.30 pm 17/8/01