Requiem for the Nameless

[ryurei]

Requiem for the Nameless

Prelude

Three weeks after Ryu vanished.

Megumi strolled through Heavens Courts to the Towering stone prisons and then down to the cell in which Keiko was being held. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed the guards who were standing watch. With a relieved sigh, the Guards quickly moved back down the hall to a table on which a small meal had been set out. Megumi approached the cell door and leaned her back against it as she folded her arms. With a small smile she started, “Anything I have to say is strictly to myself, so pay it no mind. Okay?” Keiko had a quizzical look as he nodded. After looking down the hall to make sure the guards weren’t listening in she continued, “I hear there has appeared a great oriental warrior, equal to a certain Oni, on the plane of Earth.” Keiko’s eyes widened as he sat up with a start. “This warrior fights with two silver Katanas, has silver hair and copper eyes….” Before Megumi could finish, reality warped around her as Keiko’s power started to flow out into the surroundings. Keiko stood, turned and walked through the new opening his power ripped in the back of the cell.
That lying jerk! He told me that he was dead and couldn’t return! Then again, he would say something just like that to keep me from following. I need to catch up with him, NOW! Keiko thought as the guards rushed at him. Without a motion or word, Keiko caused a hail of swords to rain from the sky; forcing the guards to pull back as he continued towards the Gate of planes. When Keiko arrived at the gate, he paused for a moment to reflect on his course of action before stepping through the enormous stone portal.

As he stepped through the gate, he found himself emerging from a pool into a forest with an infinite number of similar pools at the base of the trees. As he stepped out on to the forest floor, he was instantly dry. A sultry voice came to him from behind a tree, “So you’re going to chase Ryu also??”
Reality again warped as Keiko’s power rushed out of the earth to form tentacles of earth that grabbed and ensnared the speaker. “Don’t mess with me now, Mesuinu, I could kill you with but half a thought,” Keiko said as he recognized the silver haired, voluptuous woman who struggled against the tentacles.
Mesuinu’s liquid copper eyes flashed as she replied, “No duh! I kinda got that point when you did this. I really don’t want anything to do with you, but I won’t be able to find Ryu without you. I have to call a truce with you if I wish to get anywhere in my search for him.”
Keiko thought a moment before replying. “Fine, Princess. I’m the body guard for now. You won’t carry weapons ‘til necessary. Agreed??”
Damn! I hoped to try to get the upper hand. Mesuinu thought as she nodded consent.
“Good. Then, let’s go,” Keiko said as he had the tentacles drop her into a nearby pool and jumped in after her.

[ryurei]

Requiem for the Nameless
First Movement

“Who am I?” the thought voiced itself as a flood of responses flowed to the one who asked.
“You are Hume, the hero of the ten-day War!” was one, while another insisted, “You are the Undying Master!”
“You are a deserter!” accused another.
One voice that sounded familiar, gently insisted, “You are yourself and no one else.”
“So I am myself, am I?” the asker questioned the gentle voice, “And who is that?”
“My beloved, ….”

Yue sat up with a start. The same Nightmare had been bothering her since she could remember. In it she was locked in a void of some sort asking questions and something was happening. She could never quite remember what was happening upon waking. She stood and walked half-asleep into the commons area and got herself some milk from a fridge. She walked back down the hall, opened the door and got back into the futon, quickly falling back to sleep.
“Yue! Get to your own room! NOW!” Kenshiro was yelling as he yanked the futon out from under her.
“Hmm? Oh morning, Kenshiro. Why are you in my room?” Yue asked half asleep.
“Your room, my foot! You are in my room, stupid!” Kenshiro shouted.
“Oh, so you dragged me in last night? So did we get around to IT yet?” Yue asked as she tried to snuggle with his arm.
As he turned bright red, Kenshiro shouted, “Get your mind out of the gutter, you stupid brat!” With this he threw her into the hall and slammed the door shut behind her.
“She coulda said it nicer!” Yue pouted as she went next door to her room.
“Fighting with Kenshiro again, Yue?” her roommate asked as she rummaged through her piles of clothes to find something to wear.
“Yeah, she seems to be in a bad mood today…more so than usual that is,” Yue said gloomily as she also dug out some clean clothes.
“So tell me again why you call him a ‘her’,” her roommate said as they headed down the hall to the showers.
“Cause it fits her best, Kimiko! Just like your name fits you so well” Yue said as she opened the door to the girls changing room.
“Well, whatever floats your boat,” Kimiko said as she went to her locker and pulled out her soap and shampoo before taking her clothes off. “By the way, is he taking you to the Halloween party tonight?”
“She refuses to go with me,” Yue said sadly as she put her dirty clothes into the bottom of her locker. “For some reason, she’s seemed so distant since I got this amulet this spring.”
“So you’re not going, then?” Kimiko asked as they walked into the wash area and filled wooden tubs to rinse off.
“No. I’ll probably go and try to get some extra hours at work,” Yue said as she climbed into the tub.
“So why don’t you come to the party that Konako is having? She invited me and said you can come if you don’t have any plans,” Kimiko said as she leaned back in the tub.
“Sure, why not? What time is it?” Yue said as she relaxed.
“It’s at 8:00 and don’t be late. She wants to try something from some old book she found and is going to lock the door after that,” Kimiko said as she got up to leave.
“Ok, see ya there. Oh! What’s the dress code? Costume or no?” Yue asked as she reached over to grab a folded towel and handed it to her.
“Just casual,” Kimiko said as she left.

Several hours later

“I’m back Boss!” Yue shouted as she entered the store. “Can I head out yet?”
“You got the dishes done?” asked the man from the office.
“Yup and the dough is all put up as well,” Yue said as she entered the room.
“Alright let’s get you cash counted up,” he said as he opened a cash box and closed the door.
“No bother, 2,895 yen including the extra for my lates,” Yue said as she handed over her bag.
The man rose an eyebrow and double checked the count then nodded slightly, “Your right as usual, Yue-san. How can you do that by just the weight?”
“I just do sir,” Yue said as she rose to get her time-card. She left the office and punched out, then headed out the door of the store. In minutes she was back at the dorm room and gathering some fresh clothes from her clothes pile. She quickly jumped in the showers and hurried out. Dumping her dirty clothes in the room she hurried out the front of the dorms and walked down the street to her friend Konako’s house. The House was a traditional Japanese building surrounded with the obligatory rock garden and tall, drab fence surrounding it all. As she knocked on the traditional door she felt a wave of nausea pass over her as she heard them moving in the building.
Inside she heard a muttered curse and something about someone interrupting a spell. As the door opened a short dishwater-blond stepped out looking upset and reeking of herbs. “Who the hell is….Yue? What are you doing here?? I thought you and Kenshiro would be going out tonight?” The girl asked as she stepped back to let Yue in.
“No. She’s being cold again and not talking,” Yue said with a sad sigh as she stepped in.
“His loss and my gain!” the girl replied happily as she closed the door behind them. “You know my spells are more effective when you’re around.”
“So you claim. But let’s not try that floatation spell tonight,” Yue said with a smile as they entered the main room that had been set up for spell casting. “I don’t feel like sleeping on the ceiling tonight.”
“Actually I was hoping to try a few new ones, I found a spell book entitled ‘Power of the Seventh’. It’s entirely in Japanese so I don’t need to translate it,” Konako said as she led Yue into the main hall.
As they went into the door that lead into what had been a large dining hall but was now converted into a spell casting chamber. “So you’re using the dining room this time Konako?” Yue asked as she greeted the girls inside the room.
“Yes I thought it would work as long as we don’t destroy any walls,” Konako replied as she motioned towards the others.