Seven Remain

[Tay Lorien]

(pasted from another thread)

Well, this is my topic, for the moment. Here I'll try and post links to things that are off-site, and hopefully post chapters in this thread otherwise.

First off, I have some works on www.fanfiction.net under the author name of poetik. I had done many chapters for a forum site called evolutia, but they accidentally deleted all of them a while back.

Secondly, I'm finished with Seven Remain, which is posted below.

Notice I am giving the characters Japanese language names. This is set in Japan, sorta, but I really did it because I like to have names that mean weird things when translated.


General Rules:
- Comment what you want, but try to make it productive. Constructive criticism, not destructive. Flaming the ice knight is generally not a nice thing to do.

- Comments should be about the stories and other original works contained in this thread, not about other people's replies. I don't mind if you are agreeing with what they said, but try not to one-up or (one-down?) other people's opinions.

- If you liked my creations or didn't like them, say so. You don't even have to say why (this overrides the first rule, in case someone doesn't criticize very well). At least then I know someone reads them.

- You can put links to your own stories and such in your replies if you actually take the time and review mine. Sorta like a give and take. Otherwise, it's just spamming. And while I'm on that subject, don't spam.

-Don't bump. This is a small enough sub-forum that it won't be necessary, I hope.  

[Tay Lorien]

After a devastating nuclear war, most of the world is destroyed. There is very little hope for the future, but it exists in the form of the only remaining school in Japan.

Here, a solitary teacher tries to educate the youth of tomorrow, all seven of them.

Class roster (last name first):

Sensei- Miashima Tomo. Particularly adept in math and english, but teaches every subject for the school.

Students
#1 Gekko Kishiro - male, dark brown/black hair.
#2 Namida Kori - female, short black hair that covers eyes.
#3 Haku Jin - male, American, white blonde hair.
#4 Akatsuki Asahi - female, hair dyed with blood.
#5 Shikami Eiko - female, golden hair.
#6 Bokki Dogu - male, black hair.
#7 Shichi Seito - unknown, unknown. wears a full body cloak.

Other characters
Akatsuki Mai
Akatsuki Hikari
Yuriko

Chapter list:
Prologue (in this post)
Class 1 Hope for Future
Class 2 Next/Door
Class 3 Lost One
Class 4 Rebel's Cause
Class 5 Seashell
Class 6 Screwdriven
Class 7 Hidden Light

-----

Prologue:

It is said God created everything in a week. The world was destroyed almost as quickly.

It matters not who started the war, except for history books. But few are left to read them. Survivors are scarce. Food is scarcer. Buildings are left in ruins.

There is little hope for the future, but it does exist. The youth of the world are not entirely gone. Amidst this destruction, seven remain.

I must educate them, prepare them for what future there is left. For the world they must rebuild, and repopulate. It will take time. But time is something we still have. We have knowledge, too. We can learn from history's mistakes.

It may be years before they accept what has happened. Maybe they will never find happiness. Even Eiko's smile is a facade; her eyes are blank, the paradox of being filled with emptiness.

Some of them show promise. Kori only lacks courage, and Kishiro could be a great leader if he learns to control his temper. Asahi shows great maturity by looking out for her two sisters, Hikari and Mai, at home, though I don't know all the details... I have never met them. I hope they aren't just figments of her imagination.

The others need a lot of help. Jin has amnesia, and Dogu needs to accept reality.

The one I worry about most is student seven, whom I named Seito. I am the only one who knows what lies beneath the massive cloak Seito wears; the other students don't disturb that student. They must sense how disturbed Seito is. I'll have to pay close attention to that student's progress...

At some point, I will write a progress report. But for now, I will do the best I can for them. I will teach. I will observe. I will show them the way. I will support them however I can. My friendship is theirs for the asking, as is my knowledge.

I cannot afford to let them fail. Else all hope is lost.

Month/Date/Year
Tomo Miashima's Journal.  

[Tay Lorien]

Class 1: Hope for Future

*bang bong gang gong... ghang! ghang! ghang! ghang! ghang! ghang! ghang! ghang!*

A grotesquely off-key school bell rang, sounding off eight o'clock. The few remaining students were already seated, and waited for the teacher to enter the barely intact room. A few stared out the broken windows.

Finally, a tall, gaunt man walked in, and stood behind the teacher's desk. He adjusted his glasses slightly, then turned and wrote his name on the chalkboard.

"My name is Mr. Miashima. After hours, you can call me Tomo. I will be your teacher. This class will cover every topic that will be important to your futures. That being the case, I'm going to see how much you already know, so it's time for a pop quiz."

The class groaned as Tomo passed out tests to the students. He hadn't even taught them anything or asked their names, and already he was testing them? It was absurd. But perhaps it wasn't. After all, this was the only school left.

The world was in ruins because of the nuclear war. Many countries were wiped off the maps. Even countries who weren't directly bombed were poisoned by the excessive radiation that spread in the air across continents. Many people got sick and died, especially the young. Children's immune systems aren't fully developed enough to combat cancer-causing pathogens.

Thus, in other countries, if any survived, they were adults. It was by mere chance that one particular Japanese school had avoided the contamination, in spite of the cities destroyed around it. To be sure, the city had taken damage, but it had avoided nearly all of the radiation poisoning. Even if the survivors in other countries weren't sterilized by the radiation, they couldn't be counted on to prevent humanity from dying out completely. No, it was this one school where the most hope remained. A room with a teacher and seven students.

***

Tomo looked over the completed tests, letting the students chat while he made notes on each test. When he finished, he addressed the class.

"Just for today, I will take attendance by calling out the names on these tests. When I call your name, raise your hand, and I will tell you how you did." He picked up a test. "Gekko Kishiro."

The boy sitting in the front row raised his hand. "Here..."

"I can see you, you don't need to say anything. Kishiro, you are doing quite well in many subjects, but you may need some help in sciences." The boy simply nodded. Tomo made a few notes on the paper, set it back on the front desk, and took another. "Bokki Dogu."

The only boy on the window side of the room raised his hand.

"Like Kishiro, you excel in many subjects, but I'm disturbed by some of your responses to trivial questions about recent history, or any history for that matter. People don't start wars because of bad hair days..."

Dogu snickered. "It doesn't matter why things happen. They just do. Why should I study things that are pointless?"

Tomo sighed. This student was gonna be trouble. A real smart aleck. He didn't know if Dogu was a fool, or just a world hater. Either way, it would make his job harder. "This is where I'm supposed to say 'those who don't learn from past mistakes are doomed to repeat them,' but I don't see you as the type to start wars."

"Nope. There's nothing left to conquer."

The teacher didn't buy that line for a minute, noticing the odd look in Dogu's eye. He'd be up to something sooner rather than later.

Tomo picked up another test. "Akatsuki Asahi."

The girl behind Dogu raised her hand in a very unbecoming gesture. This didn't bother him as much as her hair. It looked like she had a head wound, for it seemed colored in dried blood. But it didn't faze him. Nothing did, anymore.

"You also need help with science."

"I don't have time after school."

"Why not?"

"Personal reasons. And by that, I mean none of your business."

She got under his skin almost as much as Dogu, but he already knew her reasons. He had heard from outside sources that she had two younger sisters she was caring for. She was rebelling here because she couldn't at home.

He continued on. "Who wrote their name as 'no name'?" A blond boy near the back raised his hand. "Is this a joke?"

"No. I just don't know what my name is."

"Well, at least you wrote something. You are American?"

"I guess so."

"Then, for this class, your name is Haku Jin." Some of his classmantes laughed quietly. "As I would expect of an American, you excel in English, but could improve in every other subject." Even more silent laughter.

"Namida Kori." The girl in the front row slowly raised her hand. "I may need your help tutoring the others. Maybe you should be teaching the class."

She looked up at him, her dark hair falling away from her face to expose wide, frightened eyes. "Oh, no, I couldn't!"

Tomo laughed, a rich baritone sound. "So you have a fear of public speaking? That'll go away with practice, I assure you. I was like that when I was young... Ahem. Back to the tests. Shikami Eiko."

The girl behind Kishiro raised her hand. This girl scared him as much as Asahi, if not more so. Because she was smiling. She never stopped smiling. It was creepy. "Your answers were half finished at best. But what I don't get is why some of your answers are drawings. This isn't an art class."

"But I'm gonna be an artist! I don't care about that other stuff. I'm gonna draw, and sing, and play music." Eiko started humming a tune. As she did, she took out a brush and started brushing her long golden curls absently. It was like she had tuned him out. He would have to deal with her later too.

"Okay, I saved this one for last, because there was no name on it at all."

The student in the far back of the room raised a bandaged hand. He couldn't tell what gender the student was, because the student wore a heavy cloak around the body. The student wouldn't speak, or maybe couldn't. He had to deal with that student fairly. "I may as well have two students with new names. For this class, you are the seventh student, so you will go by Shichi Seito here, until you decide to give us another name to use." The hooded face nodded. "Good. Anyways, your scores were fine, though your English was a little hard to read. You may need to practice better handwriting."

He went back to his desk, and took a seat. "I'm gonna end this class early today, so that if you have any questions, you can come up here and ask me. Tomorrow we'll begin regular classes."

The students began chatting again. Seito left ahead of the others. Eventually, all of the students left his classroom, so he went to the window and looked out at the front gate. It was only because of tradition that anyone used the main entrance still; the brick walls were demolished in numerous places, that people could step over rubble to enter by. But a few of the students hung out by the columns that once held the front gates.

Tomo didn't like what he saw. Dogu was talking to Kori in a way that was obviously scaring her. He trapped her between himself and the left column. Even if it was simple flirting, it was inappropriate. Tomo went out to help her.

Kishiro arrived sooner. He began arguing with Dogu, and pushed him away from Kori. Before Tomo could stop them, the two boys began fighting. As Tomo finally separated the two of them, Kishiro took a cheap shot and socked Dogu in the eye. Tomo cringed. Tomorrow, Dogu would have a shiner. But now, he merely swore under his breath as he left.

The teacher admonished Kishiro, who was calming down now. The boy apologized, saying this had happened to him before, and asked not to be expelled. Tomo understood; some people had certain triggers that caused them to behave in odd ways. He told his student that it would just be another thing they had to work on, but that he should apologize to Dogu tomorrow. Kishiro promised he would, and left.

That left Tomo to deal with Kori, who had huddled in fear on the ground, after the fight had started. She was indeed a fragile flower, a bright girl who had led a sheltered life until the war. The students had all lost their parents, and perhaps she felt their absence the most.

"There, there. Nothing to be scared of anymore. They're gone. Get up. I'll walk you home."

***

Kishiro took off his shoes, and walked into the living room of his house. He walked down the hallway to stand before a picture of his parents, a homemade shrine for the deceased. He lit a candle for each, and prayed.

"Tadaima."  

[Tay Lorien]

Class 2: Next/Door

Tomo Miashima woke up early. He felt more rested than usual this past week. No insomnia. He got out of bed, and went into the bathroom to take a shower. Fifteen minutes later, he brushed his teeth and dressed for work. He adjusted his tie, and walked into the kitchen.

Kori was already dressed for school. "Good morning, Tomo. What do you want for breakfast?"

***

The teacher had quickly noticed the differences in intellect between his students. At the far bottom was Eiko, who made no effort to improve her abysmal grades, and at the opposite end was Kori and Seito. Obviously, smart people hid their eyes. The other students were average or above, with slight fluctuations in particular subjects.

Socially, the students were testing out different friendships. After the first disaster with Kori and Kishiro, Dogu had avoided the two of them. Instead, he took a liking to Eiko, who apparently wasn't as oblivious to his attention as she was to class subjects. Neither really studied much, even when given time in class for independent study.

Kori was tutoring Kishiro, which wasn't surprising to Tomo, given how he had defended her from Dogu's advances. Jin was studying alone, an outcast for the moment. What really intrigued Tomo was the last two students studying together. Asahi was studying with Seito. Tomo heard them one day. Seito's voice was barely audible, so he still didn't understand what was being said, but apparently Asahi could. He got the impression that Seito was the tutor in that group.

A few days later, Tomo posted their grades. He cautioned it was a little early to be too concerned, but they should work diligently to improve their weakest subjects. He also reemphasized that he was available if they needed help. This advice was followed primarily by the students with the least use for it. The smart got smarter. The stupid (if such can be called) didn't care.

Unfortunately, this led to an altercation. Having seen Eiko's grades, Kori got the notion into her head that she could tutor her. So, when Dogu and Eiko parted ways after class, Kori approached her.

"Excuse me, Eiko?"

"Oh, Miss Namida, what can I do for you?" She smiled her fake smile as usual.

"I noticed that you aren't doing too well in school."

"That is because they don't teach what I like."

"Be that as it may, surely you should at least try to improve your grades until Tomo moves on to other subjects."

Eiko batted her green eyes. "What are you trying to get at, dear?"

"Oh! I was just wondering if you would be okay with me... tutoring you."

Eiko continued smiling. "What a considerate offer! But I'm afraid I must decline. It would be a waste of time. I shan't learn anything I don't want to learn."

"But! If you fail, teacher may kick you out! Then you wouldn't learn any subjects you do like!"

"Oh, if that happens, I'm sure I'll find a book or two somewhere with what I like. There must still be a few of those around..."

Kori could see she was getting nowhere fast, so she tried one last desperate ploy. "Your parents would be disappointed if they had lived..."

In a flash, Eiko's smile vanished, her eyes widened, and with a loud smack, she slapped Kori. As Kori stood there stunned, Eiko let her have it verbally. "I don't give a damn what my parents wanted! They are rotting in hell! And I don't care what you or anyone else think of me! This is my world, and I'm happy!"

Eiko grinned in a new, cruel way. Then she turned her back on Kori, who started to silently cry. Kori covered her eyes again with her bangs as she wiped tears off her cheeks. At least, she thought, that she'd have a shoulder to cry on later. And now she had an idea of why Eiko always smiled. She didn't know why, but Eiko had hated her parents...

***

To Kori's surprise, Eiko was acting as if nothing had happened the next day. Perhaps to her, nothing had. Nothing disturbed her anymore. She was lost in her own dreams. To her, the war must have been a godsend.

Kori felt sorry for her. Kori's parents had showered her with love and attention. It was devastating when she lost them. Yet here was another girl who hated her parents, even after their death. How could the two of them be so different? Yet they weren't so different. Neither had families now. They would face the same hardships, but in different ways.

Tomo was lecturing on some particular history of key locations in Japan. "and tomorrow, we'll be taking a field trip to one of Japan's most famous landmarks, or rather what's left of it."

This got everyone's attention. "Where?" A few students said simultaneously.

"Tokyo Tower."  

[Tay Lorien]

Class 3: Lost One

The drive to Tokyo Tower was uneventful. To everyone's surprise, the teacher had a working bus. Only Tomo knew that the next time it ran out of fuel, it would never run again. He thought he had enough gas for the field trip and back. At least, he hoped so. A full tank didn't go as far as it used to. He hadn't driven the bus since it had been filled up. It was fortunate that he and his students lived close enough to the school to walk to and from it each day.

The gas tank wasn't the only thing to pay attention to. Tomo had a map of Tokyo, but it was complex. And outdated. Many landmarks had ceased to exist. They would have to pick their way through the destruction. Tomo decided the safest route would be to hug the road up the southern part of Tokyo Bay, through Tokyo Port, to Shiba Park. From there, they could cut through in a straight line to Tokyo Tower, or what was left of it. Tomo hoped there would be enough of it left to see from a distance.

***

Shiba park looked relatively unharmed, though there was only rubble in places where shrines and other buildings had once been. The walk across the park was long, but the spirits of these explorers were high; even from here, they could see the tower. Or rather, what remained. Once one of the tallest towers in the world, even higher than the Parisian one it was modeled after, Tokyo Tower now stood at half of its former glory.

As they approached the base of the tower, they had to watch their steps. Debris was scattered everywhere, although most of the structural damage to the tower had fallen to one side. The walk was dangerous, but no one stayed to post DO NOT ENTER signs or some such. No barricades. It was a case of 'enter at your own peril.' The entrance was a broken doorway. The first floor was covered with shards of glass from an aquarium that had once attracted couples on dates. It was difficult, but the group managed to make their way to the stairs. After a long climb, they came out on the observation deck.

Even if they had wanted to go higher, there was nothing left to climb. Astonishingly, the viewing deck had survived while the tower part above it was gone. Around them on all sides were long drops to the ground. But the view was both breathtaking and appalling. To the east was the park they had just traveled through, and beyond that the port, more land, and then a hint of the ocean in the distance. In every other direction was carnage. The ruins of metropolitan Tokyo. On and on the wanton destruction went, until at the far west, mountains loomed. The tallest was Mt. Fuji, still majestic in spite of having lost its cap during the war. It server as a symbol, you can wound me, but I will live on.

The effect of these views was not lost on the teacher and his students. Tomo admired the view, but stayed away from the edges, with moderate acrophobia. He also made sure none of his students tried to get too close to the sides. Dogu pointed out invisible landmarks to Eiko, who looked at the display in her own unabashed admiration for the downfall of the city. Kishiro and Kori avoided this sort of observation, opting instead to look out toward the mountains. Seito stayed at the stairs, perhaps afraid of heights like Tomo was. Asahi trailed Jin, who looked at one compass point, walked to another side to look, and continued doing this in an endless cycle, until Asahi interrupted him.

"There isn't much left to see."

Jin replied as if talking to himself. "The geography isn't right."

"Of course it isn't! Everything is gone."

"There wasn't a port..."

This stumped Asahi. She called Tomo over. "Teacher, Jin thinks something is wrong with the view."

Tomo went to Jin, who was now staring out to the port. "Trying to remember something?"

"The tower wasn't near a port."

"Then it isn't Tokyo Tower you are thinking of?" He put a hand on Jin's shoulder. "Perhaps you are thinking of the Eiffel Tower in Paris?"

"Paris..."

Tomo caught Jin as he fainted.

***

He had been to Paris once. In fact, he had traveled to many countries. He especially loved looking down on cities from high up views. Likewise, he looked down on people. He was young, but athletic. In time, he might have gotten scholarships for sports. Instead, he had gotten into trouble. With the law. With the other side of the law. He moved from place to place, leaving chaos in his wake.

Somehow he had survived. He had made his way to Japan, a place where many outsiders stood out and yet fit in. He was just another outcast, a gaijin. Here, his past didn't matter, because he would be ignored. That was fine by him. He was alive, and that was what mattered.

***

Jin woke up groggily, but with renewed hope, and yet secrets to keep, now that he had memories to keep. He was on Tomo's back, being carried to the bus, almost back through Shiba Park.

"I missed the view... I saw it, and yet I didn't."

Tomo laughed. "Just like life. While you live, you never see it completely in perspective."

"Life isn't a view. You can't just look around and say you are living."

"But if you don't look at all, you don't know where you are going."

"Even if you look, you can't change the direction."

"I'll make a scholar out of you yet."

Now Jin laughed. "I remembered who I am."

"I figured that."

"My name is Jon Mason."

"Ja-nu Mei-san," Tomo repeated.

"But I suppose Haku Jin fits me just as well, so I don't think I'll tell the others."

"If that is what you want."

"It is."

***

When they had returned to the school, Jin walked back alone to his hotel room. He had been using up the food in each room, then changing to the next empty one. It wasn't like there was a manager there to object. If he ran out of food, he'd have to move on to another house or hotel, but he thought he could live this way for a while.

That was something he was good at.

Living on.  

[Tay Lorien]

Class 4: Rebel's Cause

It was a warm, sunny morning. A beautiful orange-tinged sky burst its rays through the windows of the Akatsuki household. Asahi, the eldest of the three sisters, prepared for school. As she dressed, she noticed it was unusually quiet, so when she was set to leave, she looked in on her youngest sister, Mai.

"How are you feeling?" She put her hand across Mai's brow. "You're burning up..."

Mai coughed a little. "I'll be all right. I think it's just a cold."

"In this weather?"

"You can get colds in hot weather, too!" she protested.

"You don't say... Well, I'll make you an ice pack before I leave. I'd have Hikari look after you, but she has a way of vanishing when she is needed. Are you sure you don't want me to stay home with you?"

"You shouldn't miss school for my sake."

Asahi hugged her. "Only you would think about education when you are sick. Me, I'd take any excuse to skip. I'm only going because of you and Hikari."

"When I get better, will you take me to you class?"

"Sure, if that is what you want. But they are all a bunch of weirdos."

They laughed, though Mai's was subdued. Asahi fixed Mai's ice pack, and then left for school.

***

Throughout the school day, Asahi was on edge. She had been a fool to come to class, when her sister needed her. But she didn't want to attract unwanted attention to her family's condition. Her state of mind, in its attempts to suppress her anxiety, made her even more noticeable to the others. It caused much curiosity and silent speculation.

The day went on, and class finally ended. Asahi made up her mind, and approached the teacher.

"Teacher."

"Miss Akatsuki, you seem upset."

"My sister is sick. Could you take a look at her?"

Tomo considered this. He wasn't a doctor, but he was all they had. "I don't know if I'll be of much help, but I'll do what I can." Something jogged his memory. "Which sister is it?"

"My youngest sister, Mai. She had a fever, so I cooled it down as best I could."

"And yet you came here? Is anyone with her?"

"No, she insisted I go."

"Why didn't your other sister stay with her?'

"..."

"Well, let's go see what we can do for Mai."

On the way to the Akatsuki residence, Tomo pondered Asahi's life. Asahi managed the Akatsuki household, being the eldest. He could tell she had a powerful maternal side, which extended even outside her immediate family. He looked back at the surprise she gave him when she asked for his help with Jin at Tokyo Tower. 'She may not care much about class,' he thought, 'but she cares greatly about people. Unfortunately, she acts out in class, sometimes resorting to profanities, and I don't understand why she keeps her hair so ruined. If that is indeed blood, she could easily wash it out.'

He still hadn't figured her out by the time they arrived at her house.

***

Asahi found the house quiet, as it had been in the morning. The afternoon sunlight drifted in warmly through the blinds.

"Mai?" she called out, as she led Tomo up to Mai's room. Asahi had only opened the door halfway, when she gave a loud shriek, and rushed over to Mai, who had crawled or fallen out of her bed. Tomo knelt at the other side of the girl, and checked her limp arm for a pulse. He couldn't find one.

Asahi began crying. She knew what he would say, even though he didn't say anything.

Mai was dead.

Asahi began to blame herself. If only she had stayed home, what was one absence? What did school matter; what had it ever mattered to her?

"It's my fault." She sobbed.

Tomo came over to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. "No, there was nothing you could have done to save her. None of us even could have figured out what illness she had, let alone found the right medicine. Even if you had stayed by her side, it may have been worse for both of you. For her, to know she was dying, and to have you watch her go might have made her sadder. You were very close, weren't you."

"Uh-huh."

"Even more so than your other sister? Where is she, by the way?"

Asahi sniffled. "I expect she'll be back soon. We'll have to tell her."

"Won't she be sad?"

"I don't know. She's been through a lot. Not much gets through to her emotionally anymore."

Tomo understood that. Maybe she was like Eiko, living in a fantasy world. Or maybe she was just apathetic.

After some time, they heard the front door open. They went to greet Asahi's other sister. Asahi rushed into her arms, crying again. Tomo only stared from afar.

"Hikari!"

A soft voice whispered, "What's wrong, sister?"

"Mai... she's..." Asahi cried louder. Tomo looked on as the familiar cloaked figure held her sister.

***

Hikari apologized later to Tomo for not giving her name in class, but for quite a while she had lost her voice. It happened when her parents were killed, and it wasn't until she was surrounded by classmates that she started to regain it. She still wouldn't show her face, though. That only roused his curiosity more. And now he understood what Asahi meant about her being unreceptive. When told about Mai's death, she took it with little show of emotion in her voice, besides sympathy for Asahi.

After Tomo helped them take Mai's body to a cemetery to bury, he had a few questions for Hikari. Asahi stayed at the shabby grave as the other two took a walk.

"It must have been hard caring for Mai."

Hikari struggled keeping her voice above a gentle breeze. "She cared more for us. It will be difficult for Asahi, since those two were close."

"You're their sister, too; why weren't you close?"

"Because we never were to begin with. We had an unusually strong sibling rivalry, me and Asahi being the same age. But I suppose now we are all we have left."

Tomo considered this, but had a more pressing question. "I couldn't ask Asahi herself, but maybe you know. Why does she leave her hair that way?"

"I'm not her, so I couldn't say for sure. But if I had done that... Well, first you have to realize the situation. Asahi was saved by mom and dad. They shielded her from an explosion. That blood is theirs. That is all that is left of them. I think... I think she wanted a way to remember them, something tangible, something... anything. That way, they remain close to her." Her voice had gotten stronger through this long speech, but wavered back into quieter tones as she finished.

"I see. So both of you were deeply hurt when your parents died. It happens to everyone, I think. And we express it in different ways. But why aren't you hurt now? How is losing Mai different from losing them?"

"Because I have no tears left to shed."

And Hikari went back to join her sister.  

[Tay Lorien]

Class 5: Seashell

One match was all she had. One match was all she needed to put an end to her old life. Eiko's memories disappeared into smoke as she watched the house she had grown up in burn down. The fire spread slowly through the house, feeding its insatiable hunger. Even the portrait of a cute little girl and her loving parents was eventually consumed in the all-powerful inferno. No fire trucks would come to put out this blaze.

***

Earlier that day, Tomo had put aside his lecture notes, and instead led a discussion on the war, because it was the anniversary of its end. It was a difficult subject to talk about, but he felt it important to commemorate it in some way. Dogu had gotten into an argument over it, saying you shouldn't honor things that could have been prevented. Tomo retorted that the lives lost would have meant nothing if no one cared enough to remember them. This put Dogu into grumbling silence.

Eiko was oblivious as usual, drawing random little scenes. She continued this even after class had ended, which caught the teacher's attention. He went up beside her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"I wish you wouldn't draw during class. Having said that, I can't say I disapprove of art. I have something for you that I found in the class storage." He went out of the room, and she started drawing again. A loud thump next to her desk about a minute later caught her attention, and she looked up. Tomo had placed before her a large easel with a pad of paper proportionally large spread across it.

"I only insist you don't use it during class time." He picked it up again, and set if off to one side of the class, then he moved a spare chair in front of it.

"Thank you." She said it calmly, but when he turned to look at her, he saw a genuine smile on her face.

"So, what do you plan to draw first?" he asked.

She thought for a minute. "Seashells. Always seashells." And she left the room, leaving the teacher confused but intrigued.

***

Eiko walked the lonely path to Dogu's house that night, her own burning house lighting her path as brightly as it lit up the night sky. She strode down the street of crumbling buildings, each with broken red lanterns. She hadn't been down this road often, and, if she were younger, the vibes this area gave off might have scared her away before. As it was now, she didn't care what this place had once been. She only knew she was moving forward.

She knocked on his door, and he answered it with surprise, but not displeasure, at seeing her this late. He put a hand to her cheek, stroking a golden curl out of her face, and invited her inside. She put her sparse luggage, mostly clothes, inside the doorway. With a few hasty words, she explained that she wanted to move in with him, and had no place to go back to. He wasn't prepared for that, but he resigned himself to his fate.

They talked about the day. He noticed that she got animated when she talked about her new easel. Then her eyes dimmed, as she talked nonchalantly about burning down her house. She said it was her own way of commemorating the anniversary. He wondered if she meant the same one the teacher had lectured on, or one of her own.

Eventually, it was time for bed. To his own surprise, he gave her his bed, and took a living room chair. He said he could probably find another bed for himself in a day or two. He didn't tell her about the second bed in the house, in the room unchanged by time. The room he cleaned every day but never used. Not even if he needed a bed.

Dogu gradually dozed off in the chair, listening to the static of a television with no stations. He slept restlessly. And finally, halfway through the night, he was woken by a scream and then crying. He got up, turned the TV off, and went to check on Eiko. She was sitting up in bed, half covered by a sheet.

"A nightmare during your first night here? I don't believe in bad omens, but..."

She looked up at him. "It isn't your fault. It's always the same dream. I thought I could leave it behind, erase it..." She ran her hands through her hair, then yanked it as if she meant to pull it out.

"The past haunts us all, Eiko, even me. That is why I try and ignore it. But it isn't letting you escape. Let me help you break away from it. How can I help you? What is your nightmare?"

He sat down beside her on the bed and took her hand. She said nothing for a while, but finally she opened up.

"The beach. I used to collect seashells. Even earlier today, I told the teacher I would draw some. But then I dream of my family, their voices echoing with words I can't understand, and they sound like the crashing waves of the ocean. Or the sounds you hear putting a shell to your ear. And it scares me. My parents always had big plans for me. And if I disobeyed even slightly..."

She turned away from him, only to let down the straps of her nightgown enough to show him the scars covering her back. "Even now, after they are long gone, they still rule my life." She turned back to face him, tears in her eyes.

"You are free now! How do they still control you from beyond the grave?"

"Because I am a seashell, too. I am hollow, only an echo left over from their voices. Perhaps a pretty shell, but a shell nonetheless."

"Then open up! Show us the real person inside the shell! Even seashells have sand or water in them, or air... Too bad you aren't an oyster, you might have had a pearl!"

She laughed harshly. "I don't think you'd like the real me."

"If the real you makes you happy, I'd prefer it to a fake that isn't."

For the second time in under a day, she smiled genuinely. "Well, then, I'll tell you a few things about the real me. I really do like to draw."

"I knew that."

"But I have a secret you don't know."

"As long as it isn't that you're really a guy."

She cracked up, her laughter a happy melodious sound. "No, that would be too crazy to believe!" He laughed with her. When she had calmed down, she told him to close his eyes, so he did.

He was thinking she was up to something as he heard shuffling noises and slight giggling, then he felt something large flop on his head. He opened his eyes only to see golden curls falling across his eyes, and beyond that a beautiful, black-haired Eiko laughing at how silly he looked.

***

Dogu accepted her request that he share the bed, at least until she fell asleep, but he himself was lost in thought most of the night. He couldn't believe that she was hollow, and he had told her so. Even disguised, her true self peeked through at times. He was just as happy with her this way, if not more so. People should be happy, he thought. It's natural. So why dwell on the past? Yet even as he told himself that, he still dwelt on his own past. In spite of his hatred for what the war had done to his family, he couldn't escape his past either, any more than Eiko could. But at least Eiko was trying. It was as if he was trying to hold on to his.

If he had known about Kishiro's shrine, he might not have felt so bad about his own ties that he maintained, his own type of shrine for his older sister, Yuriko, yet another casualty of the war. Her loss was like losing his heart. But with Eiko beside him, he thought maybe he had found it again. Even so, it still brought back memories...

(Next: Dogu's memories)  

[Tay Lorien]

Class 6: Screwdriven

Dogu couldn't sleep. His insomnia was not due to the presence of Eiko in his bed. She had fallen asleep easily, and he had no intention of waking her to share his vigil. He carefully rose from the bed, and went quietly out of the room. Turning around, he faced both the open door that led back to his own room and Eiko, and the closed door that led to his memories.

He went to the closed door.

He opened the door silently, and looked in. This bedroom was adorned with decorations of a feminine touch. The wallpaper was white with pastel flowers. A mahogany study desk and chair rested together in a corner. On the desk was blank paper, a pencil jar with unsharpened pencils, and a small jewelry box. On the opposite side of the room, Dogu went over and sat on his sister's bed. It was made up in the usual routine, the dark satin covers pulled slightly back from the pillow. He laid down on it, and let his thoughts wander.

***

His parents had died in a plane crash when he was young. After that, Yuriko had taken care of him. They had moved out of their large family house, which was now too expensive to afford, and had moved to the cheapest part of the city. So what if it was the slums, a shady red light district? At least he still had his sis, so he could call any place home. Yuriko raised him as if he were her own son, though she wasn't too much older than he was. Somehow, they managed to get by. Dogu never asked how his sister provided for the two of them. It was enough to know that they had food and shelter. To him, Yuriko was life.

Then the war came, and he lost her. It was not by a bomb, or even by his country's enemies. She was killed by some drunk soldier who flew into a rage at her place of occupation. To be blunt, he was depressed with the war, and displeased with the quality of service, so he shot up the place. Ten casualties, himself included. Just a drop in the bucket compared to the war. Yet, to Dogu, it was a teardrop.

After Yuriko died, many thoughts had passed through Dogu's mind. He threw away any suicidal ones; his sister wouldn't have wanted that. She had worked hard to raise him, so he must honor her wishes. But he was haunted by her memory. He had become too attached to her, and the only way to move on was to let go. Not just of her, but of everything. He would leave the past behind, and only look to the future.

In spite of this, the past wouldn't let go. His teacher had history lessons which only caused him pain. But those reminders were not as bad as his own self-induced tortures. His hypocrisy. His preservation of the past by not only still living in this house, but maintaining his sister's room, as if she wasn't gone.

***

The light in the room went on, and Dogu looked up to see Eiko in the doorway. She spied him on the bed, and chided him. "What are you doing in here? I thought you'd up and ran away. I called for you when I found you were missing. But I guess you didn't hear... What a cute room!"

"It's my sister's room."

"You have a sister? You should introduce me to her. Unless you want to keep me a secret from her. Oh! Then I shouldn't be in her room..." She rambled on in some confusion.

He explained gloomily. "I'd love for you to have met her, but she's dead." This shocked Eiko into silence. "I'm sure Yuriko would have liked you. Maybe she'll even lend you her room, if you ask nicely."

Dogu motioned Eiko to come over and sit on the bed, then he went to the desk. He opened the jewelry box, and took out a locket. He opened it and showed Eiko the small picture of his sister contained in it.

"She's pretty."

"Pretty dead."

Eiko punched him in the shoulder. "How rude! What if she can still hear you, like a spirit or something?"

"Hey, I'm doing the best I can. It's not easy. It can be just as hard losing family you care about as having family you don't."

Having just explained her own situation earlier in the night, Eiko entreated him to tell her about his past. Grudgingly, he did so. It was still painful, but having someone to talk about it with rather than brooding alone helped a little. He even explained why he hated history.

She protested. "I think you secretly like history. As I recall, you seem to know a lot about historical monuments and landmarks."

"Those are different. They are decorative or commemorative."

"Like this room? It's like a shrine!"

He ignored her gibe. "But so much history that is taught is war and death. I can't stand history that hurts to hear. How is teaching such things helpful? What matters is what we do now."

"I'm sure they tell you about how history repeats."

"I think history wouldn't repeat if they stopped teaching it."

This made them both laugh. And their conversation went on, until finally they called it a night. This time, they shared his sister's bed, and eventually did get to sleep.

***

Tomo watched as Eiko and Dogu came in late to class the next day. They looked like angelic wrecks, with bright, smiling faces in spite of sleepless eyes. Of course, Eiko had to ruin his observations by pulling the same trick on him that she did with Dogu, dropping her golden wig across his face. This caused a riot of laughter from the other students, after the initial shock had passed.

Perhaps it was karma that Tomo was teaching another history lesson that day. Eiko glanced over at Dogu, a silent plea not to cause trouble. But Dogu would not be stopped; today would be his last stand.

He stood up. "I will not listen to any more of this."

Tomo glared at him, but replied meekly. "Is that a fact?"

"Lessons such as these serve no purpose. I don't believe for a second that learning about wars prevents them, or has any use at all. In fact, history in general has no point."

"Go on. Perhaps you have an idea of what should be taught?"

"Well..." This confused Dogu. "I suppose business is still necessary. Or things like gardening. Art. Building. Things that are useful to us."

"You suggest that learning about history isn't useful. Let me try to refute then, since I am the teacher. First, I'll grant you that war as a subject doesn't prevent war. It may even encourage it."

Dogu interrupted. "Not only does it not stop war, but it hurts us. Haven't we all suffered enough from war without having to relive it by studying it?"

Tomo sighed. "At least let me finish before you give your rebuttal. As I was saying, some history lessons seem useless, even painful. This is especially true to all of you. But isn't pain meant to be overcome? Someday, won't each of you be able to look back on these times, and say 'I lived in interesting times'? Or more likely, 'I lived through those dark times.' Those thoughts are the foundation of history. Is learning history only about a list of corpses, or the lives of both them and the survivors? And I only speak of the history of war. Many historical events aren't about war. Kings, exploration of new lands, inventions, scientific research. There is a history for every subject you named as necessary. By teaching these subjects, in fact, we are moving them into the realm of the past, and thus, history."

He paused, and waited for Dogu's reply.

Dogu gathered his thoughts, and began. "You are trying to twist around what I say. You pull all those other subjects together and call it history? That is an abuse of the word. You grant me that war is a useless subject, so I'll grant that your definition of history is useful. But it differs from mine. For subjects that give us knowledge so that we may work toward the future, perhaps their history shouldn't be lost. If we lost the alphabet one day, it would be disastrous. Given that, why teach who ruled? Who discovered? And, most importantly, who died?"

"Each ruler had certain traits. We can compare each to see who was the best ruler, and why, and use those in determining who should rule now. Who discovered? That is like saying that we should let credit not be given for what you worked hard to do. Although it would explain your grades... And who died? You ask the wrong question. Who survived? Why? And how will that benefit us who live? As for the dead, they can't be allowed to have died in vain. The nameless dead. In America, they were honored the most. 'The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.' Whereas some families here have shrines for their relatives," Kishiro looked down as Tomo said this, "Can you imagine the power such a symbol gives? A shrine by a country! That is like an emperor having a shrine for a dead, anonymous peasant!"

At this, the discordant school bell sounded. Everyone was silent. Then Tomo spoke. "Dogu, pain reminds us we are alive. History reminds us that other people were alive. I'd suggest you write an essay, or even a thesis, on your beliefs. The rest of you, think of your own opinions. Class dismissed."  

[Tay Lorien]

Class 7: Hidden Light

It was a sunny spring day, the time of the year when many schools would be on the verge of summer vacation. But, for this small school, no vacation was necessary. Learning was generally already at the student's leisure.

Even so, their teacher Tomo was ready with a diversion of topic.

"Today, you all get to talk about yourselves. What are your goals? How can we help you achieve those goals? If this was kindergarten, I'd call this a game of show and tell." As he said this, he considered doing some telling of his own, but decided against it. "We'll go in order of student number. That means you are up first, Kishiro."

Kishiro came up front. He spoke slowly but clearly. "I haven't really given it a lot of thought. If I had to choose my future as it stands now... I would probably want to be a priest."

"And why is that?"

"Well, right now, there is a lot of hopelessness going around. As I see it, religion has always been one method of restoring hope. People need something to believe in. I just hope that, when the time comes, I'll be strong enough to be a good shepherd."

Tomo grinned. "Just remember, you have to have faith in yourself too, to be a good leader." A most noble goal, he thought to himself. Apparently, the students agreed, and didn't mock Kishiro. "Kori. You're up next."

Kishiro took his seat, and Kori came to the front. She still wasn't great at public speaking, but she seemed to know what she wanted to say. "I don't really have any big dreams. I just want to cook well, and live happily, have a kind husband, and a simple life."

"So, you want something traditional? Well, I'm sure there are plenty of people like that."

The game continued. Jin was interested in writing stories. Asahi wanted to become a doctor, having been helpless through one medical emergency already. Eiko talked about her art. Dogu said he might want to be an architect. Finally, it came to Hikari.

She came to the front. First, Tomo asked her something that had been bothering him for a while.

"Why do you wear such a heavy cloak?"

"Oh, this? To keep the warmth in. I get cold very easily."

"A medical condition?"

"I'm not sure. But it keeps the light inside."

"Light?"

"Shall I show it to you?"

"If it doesn't hurt to do so."

"Not at all. And it also helps to show you what my goal is."

"And what is your goal?"

"To be a beacon of hope."

Slowly, Hikari pulled back her hood. Long strands of glossy black hair spilled out around her face. Her green eyes seemed to glow eerily. In fact, her entire face was being outlined by light that was emanating from the neck of her cloak. She almost looked like a flashlight beam. The students stared at her.

"That's a silly trick. This isn't a time for a ghost story. Shut that thing off."

"I can't. It doesn't have a switch." She parted her cloak, and it dropped to the floor. Under it, she was wearing an old school uniform. In her hands was an odd glassy object. It was lit up from the inside, with no visible switch for power.

"A glow stick?" Kishiro asked.

"I don't know," Hikari replied. "If it is, it must be rare. It never dims or goes out, and it is warm, like a heater."

The other students ventured guesses as to what oddity it might be. The ideas ranged from a lava lamp to a car headlight, a goldfish bowl, even an air traffic signal.

Only Tomo had a faint inkling to what it really was. And he was afraid. While the students chatted, he went to look up a few books on chemistry and physics. He soon found a picture similar to what he had seen. Of course, Hikari could only have a fragment. Full size items were huge and heavy. But where did she find it? And what could the effects of such a small piece be? Whatever they were, it was over a long period of time, to the entire class for the whole school year. The indications were disastrous. He was surprised no one was dead. Except there had been one casualty. Mai. She was younger, and thus more vulnerable.

He returned to the classroom. "Hikari, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to confiscate that." She held it away from him. "Unless, of course, you wish to leave this school. And your home. That special light of yours is poisonous to humans."

"It is? How? I thought light is a good thing."

"Sunlight is. But what you have isn't sunlight in a bottle. I'd say you have a piece of something radioactive." This startled the class. "Get rid of it before we all die. We are probably already too late to stop the other effects."

Hikari silently left the room to dispose of her hope.

Dogu spoke up. "What other effects?"

"Increased chance of becoming sick, hair loss, any symptoms you could have due to cancer. Which is another thing you could get. And, finally, there is a good chance of total sterility."

"Sterility? Like?"

"Never having children."

None of the students had ever looked that far ahead, but Tomo had. In fact, he had counted on it. His goal in rounding up the students he could find was to start up a new society. Even if the rest of the world was lost, he could keep humanity going. Now, it seemed that, if they were all that remained, humanity would end with this generation. He took some time to pull himself together, and waited for Hikari to return. When she did, he was prepared to give another big speech.

"I'll be straightforward. It as my hope that this group would be the foundation for new civilization. If my hope has been crushed by Hikari's light of hope, so be it. The world may end. Humanity may die out. That is mere luck. The fact that we are here now is luck too. Or call it fate if you wish. It matters not.

"Perhaps now the present matters more than preparing for the future. You can live each day as if it were your last. Because it might be. So you have to live in a way that makes you happy. Enjoy the life you have left."

Tomo walked over to look out the window. "Take some time off. Decide what you really want. If you desire to still attend my school. If you do, I'll be waiting. Finally, don't blame Hikari for her mistake. Things just happen." He walked back to his desk, and took his seat.

"Class dismissed."

There was much chattering, but no one disturbed Tomo. Dogu and Eiko walked out together, as did Kori and Kishiro, though Kori glanced over at the teacher as she left. Asahi consoled Hikari, who had started crying. Jin had already left stealthily. Eventually, Asahi and Hikari went home too, leaving Tomo alone to his thoughts.

***

***

Later, Hikari took a bouquet of flowers to Mai's grave. Tomo joined her quietly.

"Did I do good?"

"Your act was great."

"Now what?"

"Even if they don't return, they'll live life to the fullest. And that's all I wanted."

"And if they do return?"

"Then I'll teach them. That's what I do."


END.