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 Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 8:22 am
Lumine blinked, then smiled as she was eased down. She clung to Hanari's body as tightly as she could, even with her waning strength. "Please... tell her I said 'thank you'..." Lumine let out a soft sigh, melting into the Shinigami's loving affection. "...Do you think... Master Kazuko will be there...? I... I don't want to be... alone again..." Her grip on Hanari's body faded.
"Thank you... my grumpy... Tengu... I wish we had... more time... I wanted to--... to m-marry... you..." She tugged lightly at Hanari's kimono before her hand slipped away.
"...I love you! ...I love you, I love you... I... I love you..... I... love you.... I...... love....."
"........................"
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Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 5:22 pm
"I will, don't worry, " Hanari watched as Lumine weakened in her grasp, "Master Kazuko will be there, waiting for you, and she will keep you company- You won't be alone ever again, Lumine, never again." The shinigami continued to caress her head, she didn't cry even as her heart was crushed. She smiled sadly for her celestial, and she held her hand and body to her own as Lumine began to fade,"I love you too!"
"........."
"....Lumine?"
---
It was my turn to hold you, to shake and try to stir you awake. I clung to your frame- I had not noticed how much smaller it had grown - to myself desperately praying for you to wake up and yell about how it had been a joke. But it never happened.
I didn't move from there till night fell and only the stars overwatched us, and I held you there. It must have been hours before Tebiki came up behind be and coaxed me into letting go. Without speaking to me, she took you up and muttered to the wind, "The punishment for your errors has bee paid." Like that she vanished in what I finally recognized as soft snowy gust. And I was alone. That was when I was able to cry.
I don' know when I decide to return to the Sanzu and sit by its shore. Noroshi-Sama found me and tried to talk to me, but I don't remember that either. I think all I recall is her telling me that Samsara continues its wheel and that I would have to get used to people passing away in my job line. Why was I given this job if I cannot even begin to imagine going through it twice much less three times. And so I busied mysel after drying my tears, took my scythe and continued my work. Day after Day. Week after Week. ...Year after Year.
Time became meaningless.
My days did not mean anything till one day Tebiki-sama took me out of my route and do the foggy sides of the Sanzu where the living never touched...
---
"Noroshi-sama, I will be late for my rounds," Hanari complained. No aging had passed on either of the vessels of hell, and as such, Tebiki continued to look young, even as she guided the taller woman.
"Cease to complain. We are almost there, Hanari," Tebiki responded guiding with her lantern and staff,"A little more..."
The two continued down the path to a particularly foggy section near the Sanzu. "Keep a sharp eye, now, " the shepard instructed,
"For what?"
Hanari was silent as her momentary and short search ended in spotting a womanly figure among the fog. "There she is..."
"WHO?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 8:07 am
Once upon a time, in a land much different than ours, a young girl awoke into a strange, dream-like place. She was alone there, and sad, and wanted nothing more than to feel the warmth of love.
So she left that land, descending from it like a fallen angel, to a new land full of magic and wonder. At first the girl was alone here, too, but preoccupied herself with the task of discovering this new land's secrets.
That was when she found her. That's when I found you...
The young girl had found one person who would change her life forever and, unbeknownst to her, would fulfill a timeless oath once made in a land very similar to ours. Their souls, bound by the threads of fate, had reunited once more. ...We made a promise... Me, and you...
And then, the young girl wasn't alone anymore. ...I wasn't alone anymore...
They lived happily together for many years, until the cold hand of death sought to sever their bond. And death succeeded for a time, leaving the young girl and her partner separated across the veil of time. But even in death, the bond forged by an oath remained, with a strength enough to challenge the gods themselves. I missed you...
And so, history repeats itself for a third and final time.
I'm home.
A young girl awakens on the bank of an endless river. She looks side to side, confused and puzzled. A dreary haze envelopes all but the river itself. The young girl feels cold... and lonely. A chill runs up her spine. She shivers, and curls up her body, hugging her knees to her chest.
In the distance, voices could be heard. Faint, but the girl listened for them. They were getting closer.
"H... Hello?" The girl called out, standing up. She shaded her eyes with one hand, trying to peer through the mist. Two figures could be seen approaching, one taller than the other. As they neared, the mist seemed to fade slightly, as if a path had been made between her and them.
The girl clenched her fists, unsure of what to expect. The short girl seemed young, yet with snowy white hair. The woman beside her was in definitive contrast, being much taller, with beautiful, raven-black hair and piercing eyes. A word floated in the back of the young girl's head... No, a name. What was it? Thinking about it made her head hurt.
Her body tense, she stared down the two figures now plainly in view. The young girl took a step forward, about to speak, when a tear flowed from her eye, and down her cheek. She paused, holding up a hand to touch her face, feeling the tear's fleeting warmth.
"Wh... Who are you?! And where am I?" She wiped at her eyes, as more tears began to overflow. "A-And, why am I... crying...?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 1:51 pm
Hanari stared intently at the soft blue haired girl before her... Could it be? Was it some cruel joke? Tebiki stepped forward , stabbing her stab into the floor so it would stand and push back the fog. "Good day, I am Tebiki Noroshi, a Shepard of souls from the courts of hell. Allow me to explain what has happened..."
Hanari continued to stare silently while Tebiki spoke, ignoring the girl's tears,"You die, years ago, as we all are meant to. Right now your memory is a bit shaken; you were in Hakugyokurou while your soul was cleaned of sin. You were chosen by the judges of hell to carry out a job for them- Herding the souls of the deceased that cannot find a shinigami , like Hanari here, or ferryman like Onozuka-sama."
The shepard allowed a small respite, she held her hand out, and in a small snowy gust another staff appeared and she held it for Lumine to take,"... Do you remember your name-?"
"Lumine..." Hanari finally muttered, though she never moved from her space, her feet cemented. The white haired girl looked to the shinigami, whose scythe was stabbed in the floor now. "Hanari." The shinigami blinked and tigthened her jaw, growing silent once more. "Your name is Lumine, but take it easy, you just awoke from a long sleep, my dear."
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Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 9:30 am
Lumine...?
That name sounded familiar, too... The girl tried to think, wiping her eyes free of the tears she shed without knowing why. She stared at the staff presented to her, timidly reaching out to take it. As her fingertips touched the relic, it felt like a light had been lit in her head, or as though the fog surrounding them had suddenly disappeared.
The young girl walked closer to the river's edge. She knelt down, setting the staff beside her, and peered into its depths, or rather, at the reflection of the girl looking back.
"I don't know... Why you would choose someone like me. I'm just a stupid girl who can't do anything right, who always messes up and can't do anything, without someone to help her..."
Lumine smiled softly. "But, if I do this," she took up the staff at her side, using it to help her shaky body stand, "then that means I'll be like you, right? And that means, we..." She turned to Hanari, "...we could have another chance... If that would be okay..?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 1:19 pm
"Your work with those you called your family was enough proof that you were capable of soothing people and bringing a kind of peace tothem; the wolf the rabbit and the crow all have done well and bettered their karma.... The White Wolf and the Crow who used to be your first home also found a greater peace ..... You had all the makings of a proper Shepard," Tebiki spoke as Lumine walked to the river,"I pleaded to the judge to allow me and take you in as a shepard."
"You-.... You did?" Hanari blinked, moving to tebiki's side,"Why didn' you tell me?!"
"I wasn't sure if she would be allowed to stay a shepard or if she would be made a shinigami..." Replied the white hair girl,"I did not want to give you fake hopes."
Hanari walked to Lumine, still in a disbelief,"of course... I wouldn't want anything else in the world. Another chance...
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Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 6:14 am
"They're all doing well...?" Lumine shook her head, then held a hand to it. "I don't even know... how long it's been. I feel so confused, and strange... I feel like I've only been sleeping for a few minutes, yet also... it felt like an eternity. There are so many things, thoughts, moving around inside my head, like... Like something I can't even describe. Yet somehow, I feel... at peace, and I don't think it's because of this staff."
Lumine held the staff in question at arms length, inspecting it, before tapping its shaft to the ground. A bright light lit at its top momentarily, before dimming again.
"Thank you, Tebiki... There's nothing I can quite offer you that would express how thankful I am, but... Thank you." Grinning, Lumine propped her staff onto her shoulder, turning towards Hanari with a hand propped at her hip.
"So, looks like we're gonna be working together! That won't be so bad, right Maria?" ...Lumine paused, her grin disappearing for a moment, before turning into a sheepish smile. "...Hehe, sorry," she laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "Dunno where that came from! I guess my head isn't fixed yet!"
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Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 7:08 pm
"Maria?" Hanari tilted her head curiously, but too happy to her she smiled again,"Of course not, I won't mind it at all. It's our second chance to do this right!"
"I am sorry to rain on your parade," Tebiki cleared her throat,"But I must remind you that Lumine must be trained; and technically speaking you will be working under Hanari. Shinigami are above us in ranking, and as such, our work goes to them. I will teach you what to do and how to do it, Lumine." The shepherd, however, smiled softly,"But we can start that tomorrow. I am sure you want to get up to date with Hanari, and she wants to speak with you. Hanari can update you on what happened with you if you wish."
The shepherd began to walk into the mist humming softly,"Try not to wonder too far, tis still fresh that Lumine awakened, so do not go scaling mountains and what not!"
The most vanished the shepherd, though Hanari had to smile after her teacher. She then realize she was alone with Lumine. She blushed and grinned, before hugging her quickly, taking her hand in one palm and her scythe in the other,"Come on! I have to show you around, Lumine!"
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Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 6:50 am
"That's okay", Lumine said, still smiling. "Hanari was always better than me anyway, so it's fine if I work for her! That just means she'll be my boss~"
"Ah," She walked a few paces after the Shepard, waving softly. "Thank you! I... I'll make this up to you somehow! I'll be a good student, you can ask Master Kazuko if you ever meet her!" She paused again, thinking out loud for a moment. "...Huh... I never saw Master Kazuko... Did she already reincarnaAAATE--" Without warning, she suddenly found herself in the Shinigami's loving embrace. Lumine let out a small contented sigh, melting into the warmth. It felt nice...
Before she could enjoy further, Hanari had taken her hand, smiling and... blushing? How cute! "Show me around? Ah--sure! Of course!" She squeezed Hanari's hand, smiling warmly. "I'll follow you wherever you go... Promise. So lead the way!"
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Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 3:24 pm
"Master Kazuko...?" It took her memory a bit to jog up , but then Hanari frowned," I don't know, maybe she has? We would have to ask Akira-sama." The shinigami led Lumine through the fog, staying to the banks of the Sanzu. The water was calm and unmoving.
"It must have been a decade or more since you... passed away," Hanari commented, "I can't be sure; I stopped paying attention to time. Noroshi-sama was the one who kept an eye on Ochiba and Michiko... OH! The wolf, Michiko, moved back to the village ... I haven't heard from her, or haven't looked for her rather. " Before them the courts begun to loom over them.
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Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 12:12 pm
"Over a decade?!" Lumine couldn't hide the surprise in her voice as she clung to Hanari's hand, following closely. She watched the river beside them, eyes slowly training forward to the large, intimidating structures they were approaching. It took a moment for her to regain her train of thought, staring idly at the Courts that seemed as though they might be staring back.
"Michiko... she really did go back to the village?! ... I wonder if Ochiba is still alive? I miss her... --Ah, I bet Michiko looks like her momma by now! ... Oh wait, Tengu age slowly... Gah, my head hurts too much to remember this all--" Lumine squinted as she ran, trying to make sense of her own thoughts. They were there; her memories, ideas, dreams, but it felt like it had all been jumbled inside her head, and points weren't connecting properly.
"I wish that we could go see her, but that would cause problems, wouldn't it? I mean... they already suffered me coming back once..."
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Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 2:42 pm
"Oh we can go and visit them, that won't be a problem! Just like I visited you. Shepherds have more freedom than shinigami in that they have to roam and find souls we don't catch, so that is a perfect cover story," The shinigami guided Lumine through the main hall of the courts. Large and marble, humble yet large. "We don't come around often but I want to tell Akira-sama you are awake."
"Anyway," their steps resounded on the smooth mirror-like floor,"We can go visit Michiko and Ochiba, and Even Rubuke, we just have to figure out where they are, and we will be set." The shinigami stopped infront of the door Lumine had seen once before; when Tebiki had come wth her to speak in her sake. "Don't push your memory too much, it will come back to you slowly. Remember you just woke up from a long nap so you will need time to heal yourself and wake up fully!"
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Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 4:07 pm
"Ah, you're right..." Lumine smiled, her hand still clasped to Hanari's as they stopped in front of the grand doors. "But, I don't think that's what I meant..." She looked up at the doors, the faint memories of once standing before them came floating into the forefront of her mind. "They already thought I had died once, and I did, but then I came back... what would happen if I came back again? I... I don't want to toy with their emotions that way, ya'know?" She squeezed Hanari's hand. "That isn't fair to them, no matter how much I want to go see them, to see how much they've grown... Jeez, listen to me talk, like they were my children or something!"
"...Do you reall think miss Akira will know what happened to Master Kazuko's soul? Even if I don't get to see her, I'd... I'd like to know if she was happy, and well taken care of. She was so kind to us, and supported us like we were her children... she deserves to have a good life! More than anyone I know..!"
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Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 7:26 pm
"It is up to entirely if you want to visit them, Lumine," Hanari squeezed her hand back and smiled reassuringly, "They might be surprised but I am sure they would be thrilled to have you back. You think about it , and then we will be able to either go or avoid them."
She turned to the door, "I am sure she will be able to tell us!" Hanari moved to open the door and go inside the empty court room. "AKira-sama?"
The green haired woman at the judge's seat looked up to the shinigami and the new shepherd. "Oh the new shepherd has awakened at long last," she smiled, setting her quill down and waving at them to get closer,"It was a long wait, I am sure Tebiki is more than happy to have her new coworker."
"Yes, Akira-sama, Noroshi-sama welcomed her at the river banks."
"Wonderful, but I can tell you both have something new in your eyes... a request, may it be?" Akira looked at both the workers of court.
"Ah you see... Lumine was wondering about someone she knew when se was alive..."
"Oh, who may that be, Lumine?" The judge turned to Lumine specifically.
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Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:30 pm
"Ah, Miss Akira..." Lumine bowed before the judge as they approached her. Somehow she felt it was only right to do so; maybe it was because of the irony of asking the Judge yet another favor.
"I'm happy to see you again, and, that isn't flattery! Yes, um... I wanted to ask if you knew where Mas--ah, I mean, Seijin Kazuko is?" She paused before correcting herself, "I mean, I know that she has passed away! I... well, I was with her when passed away a long time ago... I-I'm sorry, I'm talking in circles!" Lumine was obviously nervous, made worse by the confusion of awakening still lingering over her head. She took a moment to collect herself before continuing, after a deep breath, "I just... I want to know if my old teacher was born into a good life... I promise that I won't interfere with her or anything, but... but she took care of us and taught us and made sure we were safe! She was the closest thing to a mother I ever had, so..."
Lumine realized she had been grasping at her own shirt, over her heart. She looked up to Akira, hopeful. "...Is she, O Judge? Is she happy? Is she well fed, and clothed, and have a loving family? Please tell me... It may be a lot to ask, but now, being what I am, I can finally repay my dues!"
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