annhell
05-08-08, 02:05 PM
I hope I can post my story here? I don't really have anywhere to chuck it in to :smilieBlush: This is actually for the manga I'm working on. Do feel free to C&C :D
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LET ME DIE
Chapter 1
Toyko, Summer of 2007
Dappled sunlight filtered in through sweetly scented cedar trees above a worn, wooden roof. The rusty echo of the shrine bell faded slowly. Clapping her hands twice, the girl pressed them together and shut her eyes.
“Kami-sama...today was a bad day again. Please, if you could make it better, give me...a sign, or a —“
Something landed softly on her hands. Something cold, and sleek
She opened her eyes, staring in mute shock at the object that lay, coiled loosely around her fingers like a little silver snake. It was a chain. But from...where?
Her lips parted, closed, then parted again. She blinked. “Kami-sama...is this your sign?”
A sudden loud cry behind her shattered the soft tranquility into broken pieces. Male voices, angry, loud and harsh broke through the air. She turned slowly, her grip closing around the delicate chain in her palm.
“Yako chan, let's proceed to the worship hall.” This time it was her mother, hurrying towards her with a strained smile, her face pale and glimmering slightly. Her heels clacked urgently against the concrete pathway, glove-clad hand stretched out to grasp Yako.
“What's wrong, mama? Weren't you talking with Fujiko-san?” Yako asked. Her stomach gave a strange little twist and lurched. “I'm not done with pray--”
“Hush, my dear. Stop asking questions. Come on. Let's pay a visit to the Kannushi . Now.” Her mother's smile twitched, the force of her fingers tightening. As she tugged the stumbling girl toward a little brown hall that was nestled among a thick growth of pine trees further back, Yako looked around.
And then spotted the disturbance.
A few yards away, on the stone stairway just outside the sturdy red pillars of the entrance, was a violent flurry of arms and and fists and legs, almost too quick for the eye to discern. Rough male voices hurled obscenities. Guttaral cries of pain and anger rang out. A body was flung down the steps while another figure rushed in, hurtling towards the center of the group.
Towards one tall, hulking figure, in particular.
“Yako chan! Please hurry.”
“Wait, mama. I want to see.” Yako slipped away with a tug from her mother's grip and ran down the pathway.
“Yako chan!”
Oblivious to her mother's frustrated cry, the girl inched nearer, hiding herself under the shade of the cedar trees. Her heartbeat drummed loudly in her ears. What was going on? She had never seen anything like this before. Awe and fear burned her face, and her hands shook as they dug deeply into the bark of a tree.
They were definitely men. Big and burly, about ten of them, all dressed in white shirts and black pants - torn white shirts that were stained a vivd red and fluttered madly in the air. The men pranced back and forth, swiping and kicking and grabbing. Then, more bodies flew out and tumbled down the stairs. It seemed like a magnificent, demented dance-form, framed by the sacred red wood of the torii.
And in the middle of this frantic dance, was the tall man garbed in a dirty orange jacket, not quite as thick as the others but towering above them all. His wild yellow-hair glistened in the sunlight as he whirled, round and round.
Yako gazed on, half in amazement and half in horror. The yellow-haired man was moving so quickly she almost couldn't catch his actions. With one fist he grabbed the collar of a big guy and with the other he landed a blow in someone's face, a sickening crunch echoing through the shrine. Then with a roar, he flung the two men a distance away and lashed out with his long leg at a third man.
Like a violent tornado, he was sucking them in and throwing them out.
As if sensing he was being watched, the tall man paused, gripping an unconsious body in his hands, looked up and out, and locked on to Yako's horrified gaze.
The world seemed to halt abruptly.
A crimson, blood drenched demon from hell, just outside the boundary of her safety zone, staring straight at her,
Half his face was smeared red, and thick, maroon blood dripped from his long yellow hair into mad, hooded eyes - raging eyes that seemed as if they would burn a hole in your head if you stared too long. His tongue snaked out to lick the blood from his mouth.
And then he smiled.
Yako's breath caught. Her heart hammered wildly and her nails dug painfully into the bark of the tree. She wanted to run but her feet were frozen, too weak to move.
Get away.
GET AWAY.
“Yako! Come with me, NOW!” Yako was jerked suddenly away from the tree, and she stumbled backwards, her own eyes still unable to tear themselves away.
“Mama...th-the-they are --”
“Oh what a stubborn brat I've brought into this world! I TOLD you not to get any closer. Don't look them in the eye! Get into the shrine, it's safer in there.”
It was only after they'd tumbled into the dark shade of the shrine, did Yako realise that her eyes and nose were red-hot and filled with tears. A cup was pushed gently into her hands, followed by a soft towel. Hands shaking so hard she could not hold the cup in place, she accepted the towel instead, scrubbing at her face until it stung.
Her mother sat beside Yako on the tatami floor, not even bothered with posture for once. Her pale, cultured hands fluttered in the air, as she lamented on.
“Those yakuza! Hooligans! How dare they commit such a horrible crime at the sacred shrine! This is outrageous. And this daughter of mine! For crying out loud, has she lost her senses?”
“Actually, they were outside the shrine, madam.” A crinkled voice said. Yako looked up. A priest stood at the inner doorway, a smile on his shrivelled face. The tiny old man hobbled in and settled in front of them, tucking his faded purple priests' robe under his small frame.
“I'm afraid we've had to put up with these Yakuza ever since they moved into the house across our shrine, several months ago. Please accept our most sincere apologies, Ohgura-san.” The plump lady who'd handed out the cups of tea bowed on the floor, worry etching her soft black eyes. “They do make terrible neighbours, do they not?”
The old priest chuckled, and it was as if an ancient piece of furniture had creaked. “Nothing curious, nothing curious.”
“But why on earth, did it have to be here?” Yako's mother huffed, taking a sip of tea from her own cup.
“It must have been the youth, they were aiming for.”
“Youth?” Yako looked up.
The lady laughed sadly. “He comes every once in awhile, always dishevelled and unkempt, except for when he is with the Yakuza family. He is a bodyguard, or a member, it seems. Don't worry though. They will clear off, once they get tired. They always do.”
“Is it the one...the one with the long yellow hair?”
“Yako.” Her mother warned sharply.
“No harm, no harm.” The gentle creaking laugh sounded again. ”Yes, child. The tall one with the beautiful eyes. You have spotted him, have you not? An interesting one, he is. An interesting one.”
Silently, Yako took a gulp from the cup and allowed the tea's warmth to seep into her. She shivered, recalling those eyes.
Interesting? She wasn't sure she wanted to, or even dared, to find out. Beautiful? Certainly not! She shuddered, pushing back the image of the dreadful eyes that burned at the back of her head.
If anything, he was dangerous.
Definitely dangerous...
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LET ME DIE
Chapter 1
Toyko, Summer of 2007
Dappled sunlight filtered in through sweetly scented cedar trees above a worn, wooden roof. The rusty echo of the shrine bell faded slowly. Clapping her hands twice, the girl pressed them together and shut her eyes.
“Kami-sama...today was a bad day again. Please, if you could make it better, give me...a sign, or a —“
Something landed softly on her hands. Something cold, and sleek
She opened her eyes, staring in mute shock at the object that lay, coiled loosely around her fingers like a little silver snake. It was a chain. But from...where?
Her lips parted, closed, then parted again. She blinked. “Kami-sama...is this your sign?”
A sudden loud cry behind her shattered the soft tranquility into broken pieces. Male voices, angry, loud and harsh broke through the air. She turned slowly, her grip closing around the delicate chain in her palm.
“Yako chan, let's proceed to the worship hall.” This time it was her mother, hurrying towards her with a strained smile, her face pale and glimmering slightly. Her heels clacked urgently against the concrete pathway, glove-clad hand stretched out to grasp Yako.
“What's wrong, mama? Weren't you talking with Fujiko-san?” Yako asked. Her stomach gave a strange little twist and lurched. “I'm not done with pray--”
“Hush, my dear. Stop asking questions. Come on. Let's pay a visit to the Kannushi . Now.” Her mother's smile twitched, the force of her fingers tightening. As she tugged the stumbling girl toward a little brown hall that was nestled among a thick growth of pine trees further back, Yako looked around.
And then spotted the disturbance.
A few yards away, on the stone stairway just outside the sturdy red pillars of the entrance, was a violent flurry of arms and and fists and legs, almost too quick for the eye to discern. Rough male voices hurled obscenities. Guttaral cries of pain and anger rang out. A body was flung down the steps while another figure rushed in, hurtling towards the center of the group.
Towards one tall, hulking figure, in particular.
“Yako chan! Please hurry.”
“Wait, mama. I want to see.” Yako slipped away with a tug from her mother's grip and ran down the pathway.
“Yako chan!”
Oblivious to her mother's frustrated cry, the girl inched nearer, hiding herself under the shade of the cedar trees. Her heartbeat drummed loudly in her ears. What was going on? She had never seen anything like this before. Awe and fear burned her face, and her hands shook as they dug deeply into the bark of a tree.
They were definitely men. Big and burly, about ten of them, all dressed in white shirts and black pants - torn white shirts that were stained a vivd red and fluttered madly in the air. The men pranced back and forth, swiping and kicking and grabbing. Then, more bodies flew out and tumbled down the stairs. It seemed like a magnificent, demented dance-form, framed by the sacred red wood of the torii.
And in the middle of this frantic dance, was the tall man garbed in a dirty orange jacket, not quite as thick as the others but towering above them all. His wild yellow-hair glistened in the sunlight as he whirled, round and round.
Yako gazed on, half in amazement and half in horror. The yellow-haired man was moving so quickly she almost couldn't catch his actions. With one fist he grabbed the collar of a big guy and with the other he landed a blow in someone's face, a sickening crunch echoing through the shrine. Then with a roar, he flung the two men a distance away and lashed out with his long leg at a third man.
Like a violent tornado, he was sucking them in and throwing them out.
As if sensing he was being watched, the tall man paused, gripping an unconsious body in his hands, looked up and out, and locked on to Yako's horrified gaze.
The world seemed to halt abruptly.
A crimson, blood drenched demon from hell, just outside the boundary of her safety zone, staring straight at her,
Half his face was smeared red, and thick, maroon blood dripped from his long yellow hair into mad, hooded eyes - raging eyes that seemed as if they would burn a hole in your head if you stared too long. His tongue snaked out to lick the blood from his mouth.
And then he smiled.
Yako's breath caught. Her heart hammered wildly and her nails dug painfully into the bark of the tree. She wanted to run but her feet were frozen, too weak to move.
Get away.
GET AWAY.
“Yako! Come with me, NOW!” Yako was jerked suddenly away from the tree, and she stumbled backwards, her own eyes still unable to tear themselves away.
“Mama...th-the-they are --”
“Oh what a stubborn brat I've brought into this world! I TOLD you not to get any closer. Don't look them in the eye! Get into the shrine, it's safer in there.”
It was only after they'd tumbled into the dark shade of the shrine, did Yako realise that her eyes and nose were red-hot and filled with tears. A cup was pushed gently into her hands, followed by a soft towel. Hands shaking so hard she could not hold the cup in place, she accepted the towel instead, scrubbing at her face until it stung.
Her mother sat beside Yako on the tatami floor, not even bothered with posture for once. Her pale, cultured hands fluttered in the air, as she lamented on.
“Those yakuza! Hooligans! How dare they commit such a horrible crime at the sacred shrine! This is outrageous. And this daughter of mine! For crying out loud, has she lost her senses?”
“Actually, they were outside the shrine, madam.” A crinkled voice said. Yako looked up. A priest stood at the inner doorway, a smile on his shrivelled face. The tiny old man hobbled in and settled in front of them, tucking his faded purple priests' robe under his small frame.
“I'm afraid we've had to put up with these Yakuza ever since they moved into the house across our shrine, several months ago. Please accept our most sincere apologies, Ohgura-san.” The plump lady who'd handed out the cups of tea bowed on the floor, worry etching her soft black eyes. “They do make terrible neighbours, do they not?”
The old priest chuckled, and it was as if an ancient piece of furniture had creaked. “Nothing curious, nothing curious.”
“But why on earth, did it have to be here?” Yako's mother huffed, taking a sip of tea from her own cup.
“It must have been the youth, they were aiming for.”
“Youth?” Yako looked up.
The lady laughed sadly. “He comes every once in awhile, always dishevelled and unkempt, except for when he is with the Yakuza family. He is a bodyguard, or a member, it seems. Don't worry though. They will clear off, once they get tired. They always do.”
“Is it the one...the one with the long yellow hair?”
“Yako.” Her mother warned sharply.
“No harm, no harm.” The gentle creaking laugh sounded again. ”Yes, child. The tall one with the beautiful eyes. You have spotted him, have you not? An interesting one, he is. An interesting one.”
Silently, Yako took a gulp from the cup and allowed the tea's warmth to seep into her. She shivered, recalling those eyes.
Interesting? She wasn't sure she wanted to, or even dared, to find out. Beautiful? Certainly not! She shuddered, pushing back the image of the dreadful eyes that burned at the back of her head.
If anything, he was dangerous.
Definitely dangerous...