Saioji-San was stationed outside waiting for him. He was leaning against the car pulling a drag from a cigarette. The tiny orange light illuminated his face enough that Scott got a real look at him. His features were gaunt, he was a wisp of a man. Saioji-San had always been a bit on the thin side, but he was so frail that it was a struggle to not gape at him in horror. It was like looking at the walking dead. As soon as the old man spotted him, he quickly put out his cigarette and bowed. Scott shook his head, “there is no need for formality, my friend. Please, do as you wish.” He walked up and patted Saioji’s shoulder, “Thank you so much for taking me to Ise. You didn’t have to, you know.” Saioji nodded and then turned to open the door for Scott. “After what you have done for family, I would say that we are less than even.” Scott paused beside the old man, “I don’t care about such things. You are family to me.” Saioji smiled, “And what is it that family does when troubling times occur?” Scott was on the brink of tears. Saioji-San had been with the family since before Kotone passed away. His home, had been their home and he had seen to it that Saioji was flown back to his native place of birth, as per his wishes, in Kyoto. Saioji’s own daughter was Celeste’s age and lived near Tokyo. His son had chosen to stay with him in Kyoto. He had told Saioji to simply send his son, but the stubborn old man was insistent that he drive him. Scott knew what that drive was, it was at least two hours. That would be hard on anyone, let alone an elderly dying man. He watched as Saioji shuffled around the front of the car and got in. They drove away in comfortable silence toward the shrine. Scott turned toward Saioji, he couldn’t let things left unsaid. “Thank you, Kazuo.” Saioji shook his head. “No need to thank me. You would have done this for me in the beating of a heart.” Scott grinned at the man’s words. It was his way of saying what they both knew. Years ago Scott had said that very thing to him when Saioji’s family had fallen on hard times. Saioji’s English had gotten a little rusty since he had come back, but the emotion behind the words were what counted. This was his way of thanking Scott for helping his family. Now he understood. Let the man make his peace. Saioji turned up the music as they drove along the winding path toward Ise.
Scott’s eyes widened at the composer. Tōru Takemitsu, one of Kotone’s favorite haunting classical composers. His music often brought about feelings of nostalgia and was a composer far ahead of his time. She had once told him that Takemitsu-San created a piece in the 60’s made entirely out of nothing but the sound of water and water droplets. Kotone had especially grown fond of his work when she was sick. She explained that the composer had grown ill and listened to western music because his native Japanese music made him depressed and reminded him of the war when he was a boy in the 1940s. It wasn’t until his later years as a composer that he came back to Japanese music and started using it in combination with the western style he embraced. The same had happened to Kotone, not over war, but family matters and friendships that were split apart. For a long time, she had denied herself any of her former music pieces and stuck to classical western compositions and her own original works. He never understood the appeal, Takemitsu’s work was always so disjointed and creepy.
One in particular that always got under his skin was RING. Kotone loved to listen to that around Halloween, and blared it to spook the local children. The discordant noises and the flute sounded like fluttering wings. But out of most of his, this one that Saioji was playing was one that he had found mysterious yet lovely. It was called Into the Woods. He looked at Saioji and then out toward the trees that lined the road. Was he trying to tell Scott something? The piece was somber, and foreboding─ as if warning him not to go. Each of the guitar strums plucked made him jump slightly. Was it just him, or was the road becoming harder to see? It must have been the fact that they had left the city some time ago. Perhaps the light ordinances were different here, he hadn’t seen a street light for several miles. Saioji hummed along absently, gently swaying to the minor chords. He sighed, shaking his head. He was letting his nerves get the best of him. The wind picked up outside, causing the car to rock and creak, gently swaying left to right. The last of the chords faded as the beginning notes of To the Island drifted in. This was one of his few nostalgic pieces that brought about happy images. It flowed like a gentle breeze as the listener wandered on a boat between islands. Before he knew it, Scott’s eyes fell heavy and his breathing became deep.
Images of Kotone looking out across at Mt. Fujiyama floated just beneath his lids. Then it shifted to Celeste, dressed in a matching white dress, seated with her mama strumming the piano keys as they laughed at nothing. They turned and smiled across at him. He stumbled over to them and reached out, sweeping them both into a long hug. They were real─ so very real. He cried into Kotone’s delicate shoulders, breathing her scent in deeply. She leaned back and smiled, standing on her tip-toes to reach his lips. They stayed there, wrapped in each other’s embrace. Celeste returned to the piano and played her piece, smiling at them both. He had found her, somehow, some way, she had never left. Scott wept openly as she held his face to hers. “I’ve found you,” he murmured. “Not yet, love.” She whispered to him softly. He gripped her tighter, desperate to hold on a little longer. The scene evaporated, nothing but pure darkness surrounding him.
He opened his eyes as the car slowed into the familiar parking lot by the bridge. Saioji must have gotten them past the gates somehow. All was quiet. He looked at the great wooden Torii that stood before the Naru entrance. It was the side where the goddess Amaterasu was supposedly housed. Into the devil’s den, he mused. They both exited from the small, black car and paused at the Torii’s entrance. Scott looked to Saioji and offered his hand. “Thank you, my friend. I can take it from here.” Saioji took his hand and wrapped it in his own. It was soft, and warm. “You don’t have to do this.” Scott smiled and shook his head, “I was always meant to.” He took a few steps toward the entrance.
“Scott─”
“You know, I wasn’t entirely sure until just a few moments ago. Something kept bothering me, something in the way you behaved. The amount of emotion I saw in your eyes.” He sighed, closing his eyes. “Saioji-San was left handed.” He was met with a long silence. “How long has he been gone, Luce?” He turned back to see her standing there, beautiful as always, her blue eyes shining in the darkness. She smiled through the tears that began forming. “I wanted to see you one last time. Maybe convince you how foolhardy this is.” Scott nodded, “you can’t follow me, where I am going.” She shook her head, the waves softly framing her face. “But I can make it so that you can go there.” Anger ignited within him, “Because you have known where she has been all along.” She took a step forward, her eyes growing fearful, “Please, don’t hate me. I didn’t expect─” “that you would fall in love?” His words came out sharper than he intended, but now his suspicions were confirmed. She had used him to get to Celeste. He thought that he had been protecting her this whole time, when in reality Luci had been training her to fulfill her ultimate destiny. How could he have been so blind? How much did he really know about all of this? “Scott, please. You don’t understand who she is.” “She is my daughter,” he bellowed, “and someone that you claimed to love. Are you really even capable of that emotion?” Her face fell, tears falling from her eyes. Her hand dropped to her side and she clenched her jaw, “you have no idea who I am, or what I have sacrificed. Don’t pretend that you are the only being on this god forsaken planet that has suffered.” Her eyes flashed from blue to lavender, her hair now a pale violet tumbling from her shoulders. She was as fearsome a creature as she was stunning. He faltered, unable to keep his anger. “Then tell me. For fuck’s sake, please tell me. How am I supposed to help her, if I have no idea what I am going up against?” he was practically shouting. She glared at him, but her features had softened slightly. “There is a war, Scott. One that has gone on for Eons before the son of Adam existed.” He calmed a degree more and snorted, “No shit, Sherlock.” She raised an eyebrow at him but the c
orner of her mouth betrayed her and drew up into a smirk. “I see we are back to teasing and name calling.” Not able to help himself, he broke into a slow smile. He didn’t understand it. He wanted to hate her, she had, after all, betrayed them. Unfortunately, he was an understanding man. He knew there was more to the story, he was no idiot. That’s not what was making him upset. It was the fact that he still believed in her. He still─ cared.
She walked over to him, careful to stay at arm’s length in case he did not want her there. He didn’t think it possible, yet she was even more beautiful in her true form. Unable to help himself, he reached out and stroked a lock of the silvery-lavender. “When this is all over, your life will go back to as it was.” She sighed, leaning into him. “On the train, I had all of my accounts switched over. You are sole heir, if I don’t come out of this alive.” Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head, “No, Scott. That is meant for your girl.” He smiled at her and cupped her face. “There is a reason that you are keeping things from me. She will never be the same, will she Luce?” Her lip trembled and a single tear fell down her face. She said nothing, she didn’t need to. He already knew what waited for him beyond the gates. He pressed his lips firmly on her forehead, and then he let her go. It was the hardest thing he had to do, knowing every step would be his last.
He was almost to the Torii when her voice rang out, “At least know that this is bigger than you or me. I didn’t do this to betray you.” He paused, listening to her words. “That girl, she is so much more than you could have ever imagined. I did this for her. She is salvation, she is destruction, she is─ everything.” Scott turned to her and grinned, “I’ve known that my entire life. She is my daughter, after all.” She flashed beside him, pulling his mouth to hers. They stood entangled, lost to each other’s passion. Her hands ran through his hair, pulling him as close as he could get. He was lost to the moment, he couldn’t remember the last time that a woman built such a fire within him. He could stay here forever, they could just walk away from it all. Kotone’s soft eyes and touch came back to him. No, you can’t. Celeste’s sweet smile flashed into his mind. He couldn’t do that to her. Somehow he was going to find a way to fight all of this. He pulled away from Luci and stared deeply into her vibrant lavender eyes. “If I created you, I would tear down every known universe to bring you back to my side.” Luci’s face crumbled, but her body moved automatically. She bent him over her arm and thrust her fist into his chest. His screams exploded across the forest and river, disturbing the natural lull. It was a pain like he had never known. He was a child again, being embraced by his mother goddess. Luci’s face hovered inches from his as they dropped to the ground. She cradled him in her lap, “shh” she cooed, “look at me,” his screaming halted, and then changed to tears. His ribcage opened, finally releasing his heart to her grasp. His vision began to fade, his breath labored.
Her hand hovered centimeters from the still-beating heart. “You must give yourself over to me, pledge it and the pain will subside.” Wetness spilled from his eyes, his voice lost to the wails. He willed it silently, feverishly pledging himself to her, and then nodded. Luci’s eyes flashed, changing from blue, then lavender, and finally the blue-green. He had known. Somehow, he had known who she really was. The reason she was always there, so close by Celeste’s side─ removing Kotone from his family. It all had to pass in order to bring Celeste to her ultimate purpose. The bug-eyed woman, his enemy, and the love of his life. He had always known.
Scott collapsed in the demon’s embrace, the last of his breath leaving his body. His eyes turned skyward, the stars the last thing in his sight. Finally, he was released from the pain. He was free.
14 An Empress is Made
The men’s deep yells could be heard from the field as she crossed over to her father’s side. He watched them all with a deep sense of pride. Kiwako knew her father, his face was a mask of indifference, but his eyes glimmered with hope. She stood silently watching their morning training exercises. Her father turned and bowed low, “Ohayo gozaimashita, Kōgō Heika Kiwako-Sama.” she blushed at his formal greeting. “Ohayo gozaimashita, Otōsan.” He frowned slightly and shook his head. “You will refer to me as general on the field, Empress Kiwako-Tennō.” he added. He was teasing, but equally serious. It was his way of recognizing her as the imperial ruler, the empress. It also meant that like the Josei Tennō, she was a descendant of─ her eyes grew wide and she stared up at him. It couldn’t be. His expression was unreadable, but he inclined his head ever-so-slightly.
The men’s armor glistened as they shouted and thrust the weapons forward in near perfect formation. Their colors were red and black, trimmed in gold. Today they were in full gear, which meant that they were in the last six weeks of training and wearing around 25 kg of armor. Her father had told her that some of them had even been resting in the gear. The extra weight helped the men grow used to it. There was so much that she didn’t understand. So even the undead trained. She had foolishly assumed that the men would never tire, and so they were more useful than most. Seeing this made her curiosity peak. “Father, why do they train? Surely the undead never tire.” He frowned at her not using the formal name, but answered her question, “These are mortals, Empress. Once angels, now Fallen.” She kept quiet, listening to every detail. “They are at a distinct disadvantage from their brethren, you see. I needed to spend many months preparing them for the on-coming war.” She inclined her head, “I see.”
She glanced over to the more advanced warrior’s encampment to the North. It appeared to be several kilometers out, their flags visible and flying at the entrance. “Are they training as well?” He was silent for a moment, watching as one of the men was slapped with the flat end of the blade from his instructor. He nodded his approval, then turned to Kiwako, “they have been training since they first arrived.” “And how long ago is this, General?” His eyes met hers, and then looked to the north. “Millennia, Empress.” She started at his admission. Thousands of years. Was this how old she actually was? She wanted to ask more from him, but sensed that he would not address her as a daughter until after his supervision of the men was complete. She turned to face him properly and bowed slightly. “Thank you for your report, General.” He bowed until she stood and walked from her place next to him. It was odd, him treating her as above him. He was, after all, the Emperor of the realm. Yet, as he had explained last night, she was rightful heir to the throne and he now returned to his original position of General. This did not mean that he was no longer considered emperor, it meant that he chose to resign his duty to fight alongside his men. The empress was to oversee plans and to study the ways of war. According to him, she was renowned for her war strategies and once she has found her true self, she would understand her place.
She walked past the fields and turned toward the royal gardens to the east. It was the first time that she had a moment today to relax. They had begun her strict training regimen. There was studies in the morning, one hour debriefing session with the general, and then more studies in the evening. She still had a few moments of freedom, and it would be spent in nature. As she wandered to the entrance, her steps slowed. From her bedroom, she was unable to have a clear view. Now, it was entirely visible. She gaped at the corridor lined with the twelve distinct topiaries. They were absolute perfection, each animal their appropriate size and true to real life. Kiwako walked past them slowly─ rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey. She stopped suddenly looking at the rooster. It was small, yet imbued with a strange light. It was as if it were calling to her. She walked past the dog, and finally a boar. She remembered something about this referencing the traditional Chinese Zodiac. She stared down the line and then turned to look across from the rat. A lone creature was curled on the grass at the very end separate from the other creatures. It was laying on its side, curled around what appeared to be a gift, fast asleep. It was a small cat, complete with a long, bushy tail. This was similar to the Chinese Zodiac, but different. Her mind st
ruggled to recall where she had seen this before. It was right there. There was a long, stretching hallway and two girls. The symbol for infinity, a string bonding two girls to each other.
She walked closer to the Tori marveling at its long, multicolored feathers. Its chest was puffed up and it stood tall and proud as if it were about to announce the sun’s rising. The light it emitted was subdued, but glimmered as she stepped closer. What was it about this creature?
Kiwako’s mind shot back to a human memory of running through a very dark place. Something had been chasing her, and yet there was something else there─ a feeling of home.
“Shitsureishimashita, Kiwako-Tennō.”
Kiwako spun around at the intrusion. She relaxed slightly before speaking, “Eigo de shitsumon shite mo īdesu ka o ukagai shitai ndesuga, eigo de daijōbudesuka?” the maiden squirmed visibly, not used to being addressed so politely. Kiwako would have to learn how to properly address servants, or anyone here for that matter. But, this girl she was especially fond of. She thought of her more as a friend, than anything else. There was something about the girl that reminded her of a past life. She was stunningly beautiful in her long, deep purple robes. Something must have happened to the girl in battle, because every time Kiwako saw her she wore a patch over her eye. She still used polite words with the maiden and tried to make them not sound too familiar. She wasn’t sure that she would ever get used to such things as speaking down to her staff.
The girl bowed low, “Yes Empress, I can speak English to you.” Kiwako walked out of the hedge maze and past the girl. The girl’s hair charms clinked musically behind her as she continued speaking to Kiwako, “Your evening studies have been prepared for your viewing, Empress Kiwako-Tennō.” She nodded and made a soft noise to signal that she was listening. The girl explained that dinner would be in exactly one hour after her study, and then she would continue studies for two hours until bed.
Hell's Gate: Resurgence Page 8
