The shadows' ballade, part II

                                    

                                          


                          
  Hiyaa, my dear silent readers! Even though i didn't get many reviews i still want to thank you for keep reading this
  little piece of work. I really appreciated the views and the visitators! Now i'm here again, with another chapter of this pretty intense story. Have a nice reading! 
  ________________________________________________________________________________

  The betwitching beauty and brightness of the colourful city lights under the night sky, portrayed in my delighted eyes, were enough
  to make me feel like i was lost the wonderland of Tokyo. Sitting on the cold edge of a fountain, in Akibahara, as i was gazing at the
  amazing crowd of people, wandering through the streets, i started thinking about what kind of different lives those people were leading. 
  Sometimes i used to do that, a lot. 
  Office employees hastly walking with their folders, hoping to catch the bus in time to come back at their home, where their lovely and caring wives were waiting for them
  with a setted dining table and a cup of warm rice. Young middle school girl thoughtlessly chuckling as they just walked out of the karaoke...i could've observed people living their own lives, forever.
  Tokyo was like that: An endless spectacle of flashing lights and a lively crowd, with a nasty traffic noise behind it, playing in the background. 
  "Hey Haru-chan, are you listening?" 
  Still drowning into that view and my train of thoughts, the sound of a deep voice abruptly brought me back to reality.
  "U-um. So, you were talking abo
 ut your friend, right?" 
  Honestly i couldn't care less about his speech. He was such a boring guy! By that time, i had already forgotten his name too. 
  "What's wrong with you, Haru-chan? You've been spacing out all the time, lately." 
  I calmy took another sip from the straw of my chocolate milkshake, vaguely listening him. 
  "...You should enjoy our date more!" he said with a pinch of malice in his voice. 
  Ungluing my lips from the drinking straw, i slightly rolled my eyes with annoyance and faked a cheerful smile. 
  "Yup, you're right! Sorry for earlier." 
  "No problem, dear." 
  He was about to put his arm around my shoulders when i saw my phone's display glowing in a cool white light. 
  A single name appeared in the middle of the screen: Ren. 
  I watched the little writing surrounded by a bright light for a few seconds. I was pondering. 
  I was kind thankful to him, for calling me with such a perfect timing, by the other hand, i was wondering what could have pressured him
  into doing it. 
  Probably he just want me to come back home, because it's late...
  "Are you not answering?" 
  I gazed at the phone a little bit more, deeply focused, then i shoock my head in response. 
  "Naah, it's fine. I guess it's not even important!" i said as i put away the phone, ignoring his call. 
  That day i already had enough of people trying to tell me what to do, or subdue me under their intents! I just wanted to break free for a while
  and distance myself from the rest of the world. I needed it. 
  Yet, my mind was drifting away from reality. I couldn't even stop it. 
  My head was filled with anguish and concern, still thinking about what happened to school the same day. 
  What was that thing? Am i crazy? What i'm supposed to do now?!
  As a daughter of an exorcists family, i'd shouldn't been so surprised by that event. People or impurities aiming for my life was what 
  i'd always been prepeared for, since i was just a little girl. Ren and Rin were both at my service for this purpose. 
  But that thing which almost attacked me that morning, wasn't a common impurity. I felt it in my bones! 
  My brain was trying to convince itself that it was just a case, a pure accident, just me being in the wrong place at the wrong moment! 
  That an impurity like that, could have attacked anyone and i was just the unluky one. Deep inside, though, somewhere in a sensitive spot of my soul
  I knew it wasn't an accident created from mere casuality.  I just didn't want to face the truth which was laying beneath. 
  I gulped. Anxious. 
  As my mind was recalling that moment of fear and haziness, my fingertips began to tremble. Aware enough of my body and my perceptions i quickly 
  tried to shake that sensation off and coming back with my feet down to earth.
  "Hey, why don't we go for a walk? I wanna take a glance to the shops'windows!" 
  I got up on my legs in a hit of excitement. 
  "Uhm...yeah, sure." 
  "Nice!" 
  Putting one foot in front of the other, i started walking for an unknown destination, keeping my arm tangled with his. Finally
  i had regained a bit of serenety just from leaving the place where i was sitting untill a few minutes ago. Now i was superficially laughing and 
  chattering with the boy i was clinging to, and even though i was just pretending to have fun, at least i didn't feel troubled anymore. 
  But then it happened. 
  Still nonchantly walking on the streets of Akihabara, i accidentally collided with a woman. A very pretty one, who was wearing a black long coat and 
  a fancy hat. The moment our shoulders touched i took a step into hell. 
  At first i didn't feel anything, apart from the urge of apologizing for my oversight. But before i could do that i started feeling sick again. 
  The woman continued on her path without even saying a word, even though, as i saw her walking away, i could catch a slight glance of a mischievous grin on her pale face. 
  I stopped and frozen on the spot. 
  "What's the problem, Haru-chan?" 
  His voice was so distant now from me, i couldn't even feel our bodies touching anymore! Everything started frightfully swinging. My sight grew blurry and cloudy, again. 
  I felt like i was abou to throw up at any given moment and every single cell inside my body turned upside-down. 
  A whirlwind of mixed voice that i couldn't recognize, suddenly arose in my head and started haunting me from the inside. 
  "I don't want to....please...save me..." 
  "Stay calm, we'll find a way to...." 
  " It's dark...it's dark!" 
  In my ears, those voices were rather muffled and distant, their echo resounded in my brain, awaking a terrible headache! 
  And then i saw it. 
  The garden. 
  My special place! Drenched in red, probably blood. 
  My mother was staring at the garden, sat on the wooden veranda, giving me her back. 
  That's when she slowly turned to me and curved her lips in a kind smile. But something was missing on her pretty face, something of vital. 
  She was eyesless. 
  I was terrified at the sight of that picture! 
  When i tried to pull myself together, another image portrayed itself in my mind. 
  Me, who i was holding a pair of marbles in my hand. 
  And then i looked into the mirror, which was standing besides me, and saw another eyesless face, my eyesless face. The marbles were probably my eyes. 
  Endless seconds were beating a slow-paced flow of time as darkened pictures and disturbed voices were gathering inside my head, making me go insane.
  It was like i was being hitted by a hurricane of nightmares, while i was wide awake in reality. 
  "...Haru!!" 
  Suddenly i heard him again. 
  "Eh?..." still dizzy and confused, i couldn't manage to put some sensed words together. 
  "Are you allright? You were like in a trance!" 
  Stunned by my own reaction, but more self-aware, i remembered Ren calling me just a while ago. 
  "Ah, S-sorry, i have to go now! See you!" 
  "Wha...." 
  I ran away. 
  Hopefully, my body hadn't been dragged into that roller-coaster of dreadful sensations, that time. I could freely move. 
  But i was scared, like a little mouse cornered by a cat in a dark alley, therefore i began to run as fast as i could! 
  But what i was running away from? 
  I perfectly knew that what happened a few seconds ago, was just a some kind of delusion, and nothing more. 
  Yet, i felt like something was wrapping my soul up. Dark and heavy hands. 
  Something was wrong with me, now i was sure of it! 
  A hunt. Nothing was hunting me on the outside, but a rush inside was telling me that i had to run. 
  Run from something within my body. 
  Darkness was chasing after me; shadows were dancing in my heart. 
  Before i could realize where i was heading to, i found myself in a desolate park. I stopped in front of it an noticed a throbbing dim light, coming from my neck. 
  The enchanted pendant. 
  It was blinking in a warm yellow glow, as if something made it react. 
  I took the charm in my hands and looked at it closely. A light flame inside the crystal-like locket was burning and sparkling in magic. 
  Trying to connect the dots, i had a hunch of its possible meaning. 
  I clearly remember my father saying that the enchanted charm's purpose was to protect from evil energy. Maybe the pendant reacting 
  and the previous accident were linked, after all! 
  I walked towards a bench in the lonely park, enlightened only by the lampposts' light, and sat on it, trying to calm myself.
  By instinct, i held the pendant tight in my hands and pulled it to my chest, focusing my attention only on the warmth and the brightness
  of the mistic jewel. As i was doing that, i felt the rush of my heartbeat calming down and recovering. 
  "It's like a piace of the sun."
  I thought while i was still clinging onto it. 
  Undoubtedly, an echanted charm made of the purity of the sun's possibilities were rather high. 
  I could expect everything from the exocists' world. 
  Also, when i was attacked by that thing the first time, once i reached the sunlight, i remember i was feeling better and 
  pure again. 
  The sun against the evil forces.
  Hmm, makes sense. 
  It didn't pass much time before new troubles spotted me again. 
  I was still trying to recover my body when a bunch of guys approched me. 
  "Hey, cutie, what are you doing here all alone?" 
  Oh, for God's sake! 
  I ignored his question, at first. 
  "Are you deaf? Not that i care to be honest!" 
  My poor nerves were about to lose it. I was in some serious pinch. 
  What was wrong with that day?! 
  "Listen, i don't have any time to waste on you, guys. Leave me alone!" 
  I was completely surrounded, by more or less, eight guys all at once. 
  I wasn't that afraid, honestly. The thing from earlier was much scarier in my opinion! 
  "Uhh, you're difficult one. I don't mind at all!" 
  I sighed, already fed up with that situation, so i put myself together and stood on my own feet as for walking away. But 
  while moving a step forward i found myself still half-dizzy and weak. 
  The guy gripped my arm and pulled me closer. 
  "C'mon miss, have some fun with us!" he said with a mischivous grin on his face. I clenched my fists and showed of my teeth in response. I was struggling. 
  Suddenly, a flying animal fell from the sky and landed on the ground, roaring with impetus! 
  Sat on that creature's back, there was a guy with familiar features. 
  Frightened by that supernatural view, the bad-looking guys run away with tails between their legs. 
  I had never been so relieved to see Ren's face in all my life, 'till that moment. 
  "You seemed in distress, young lady." 
  He said while landing his feet on the ground. 
  "You're late, baka Ren!"
  Chuckling and coming towards me, he started scrambling my hair, "Gomen, gomen!" 
  I swelled my cheeks, sulking and puffing in a fake angry face. 
  " Why are you here, by the way?" i asked him, pushing his hand aside. 
  "You didn't answer the phone and i was worried. Also you better come with me, right now!" 
  He turned to his flying monster, Kora, an inugami equipped with big wings, and put his sweet weight on its back, suggesting me to 
  come along. 
  "Where?" 
  "To the hospital." 
  "The hospital?! What happened?" i rushed and quickly jumped on Kora's back as well, easily alarmed by the word "hospital". 
  "Mayura-sama." 
  "Mom?!" 
  I held on tight to his jacket as we were about to take off. 
  Strange and dangerous things were happening all of a sudden. The whole situation was smelly, to me. But i didn't matter at that time, because 
  the only thing i could think about was my mother's conditions. 
  The landscape in my eyes was getting smaller as we were lifting in the night sky. The city lights all gathered in a big colourful stain, abruptly reminded me 
  of the echanted charm's pendant and the white flame shining and sparkling in its crystal. 
  The pendant was silent now. No light, no flickering. Just a little twinkle due to the glassy's texture of the jewel. 
  "Hey!" 
  "Um?" the coral pink-haired boy in front of me, slightly threw his gaze behind his back, towards me. 
  "What happened to mom?" 
  He didn't answer me right away, it seemed like he was carefully pondering his words. 
  The sound of the high-speed coming wind, perfectly replaced the unhearable silence which was wrapping around us. 
  "You'll see when we'll get there." 
  Tch. Why he was being so mysterious?! Not getting a proper answer, only agitated me more!
  What was going on? Why everything was so messed up, now? 
  Back there, i didn't have clue. 
  Kora's speed increased all of a sudden, making me need to cling to Ren. He was even more concerned than me, i knew it. 
  I guess he was the one in need of some confort, while all i really needed were answers. 
  So we sailed the black-starry sky for a while, both very nervous and impatient, and as we were flying under the sweet moonlight, i 
  looked up above my head and saw the Milky way laying peacefully over the blakness of heaven. In its precious collection of bright dots, i spotted a shooting star passing by. 
  It was a red-flaming star with a long white tail, shining in purity. I never saw one in my whole life. 
  They say you should make a wish on it but i had no one, at that time; so, i just let it run away towards new skies. 



  ________________________________________________________________________________




  "As i already said, i'm fine!" 
  My mother was sitting on the hospital bed with her left hand completely bandaged and vaguely stained wth blood. 
  She was cheerful and bright like anything really happened to her, as always. I guess she didn't want us to worry about her condition. 
  From her story, it seemed like she carelessly cut her hand while she was trying to cook dinner. 
  So stubborn. 
  "You are not allowed to use the kitchen! Why did you do this so thoughtlessly?!" i yelled at her. 
  Indeed i was mad, more for her stupidity than anything else. Her sight was slowly getting worse as time was passing by. 
  She simply smiled at me with a lovely expression, "I wanted to do something for you guys, it's been a while since i touched the stove!" 
  But that sweet and relaxed face was actually hiding an unbearable pain. She was sweating hard. 
  Of course the cut she was talking about, wasn't a little one. I even doubted it was a cut, in the first place. 
  "Mayura-sama, you should have left this work to someone else." Ren said with his usual polite poise. 
  She laughed in response "I know, really. Seems like i've become pretty useless lately!" 
  As she said that sentence, my blood boiled in pure rage. 
  Without even thinking about the proper words to use, i started screaming with a loud voice. 
  "Are you stupid?!" 
  Her eyes were glowless and cloudy, partially engulfed with darkness; she was staring at the nothingness in front of her, at a void me, 
  but her face was painted with astonishment for my rushed reaction. 
  "Haru, calm down..." Rin got close to me and put one hand on my shoulder with a gentle touch. 
  "No, she has to deal with it!" i said as i abruptly shook his hand off of my shoulder, taking a step forward "Mom, you are almost completely blind!!" 
  As i shouted that, silence arose between us. I took a brief pause to watch her reaction. 
  She was patiently waiting for me to go ahead with my riot act, facing me with a warm-hearted smiile.
  "Most of the ordinary things you used to do once, are now dangerous for you. You're an invalid, get over it already!" 
  Yeah, she was partially blind, and in a few years she would have become a total one. This was the true and sad story about my mother's exorcist nipped career. 
  She was one of the twelve heavenly commanders, entrusted with the White tiger's echanted talisman and the former head of the Amawaka clan. 
  But after a fateful accident on the battlefield her sight was put on the line, or at least this is what i've been told. 
  Since the light in her eyes have grown dimmer and dimmer, she turned her back to the truth, refusing to accept the reality of facts, but most of all 
  she didn't want to let go all of what she has built since she was a teenager like me. 
  And now, nobody dares to tell her about her futility in a mission, because she would get mad or pretty hurted by it. 
  But i don't care anymore! 
  As i stopped speaking, mom slowly stood up from the hospital bed and came towards me. At first, i thought she was about to slap me, or something
  than i remembered that we were talking about my mom, Mayura Amawaka, who wouldn't even hurt a fly. 
  She looked at me, like she was desperately searching for my eyes, but without success. Then she took my face between her soft hands and whispered "Haru, i love you." 
  Eh? 
  What was the meaning behind those words, now?
  My eyes were opened wide in surprise , letting the cold light of the room filling them. For a moment, i also felt like i was about to tear up. 
  "You really are your father's daughter. You are just like him when he was younger." 
  While saying that i could hear my mom's voice breaking with emotion as her eyes started getting watery and an overjoyed smile blossomed on her face. 
  Ahh, my body felt so warm back then! Her words reached the deepest and locked door of my hardened heart. 
  I didn't want to admit it, though. 
  I though that i used to hate my parents, that i could've never forgiven them! Maybe i was wrong... 
  My mother was just a poor forgotten soul who didn't have much to rely on, excpet her family's love. 
  On top of all, like she used to repeat me most of the time, i was her only left light. 
  I was her sun, her Haru. 
  How could i've forgotten this?! 
  Probably my mother didn't care anymore about being an exorcist or the head of the clan; maybe the only thing she was still
  hoping to be, was a lovely and caring wife and mother. I could see that in her lightless eyes. 
  I gently grab her wrist and took her right hand into mine, with the saddest expression i could ever make while talking to one of my parents.
  Finally i was unleashing all my vulnerability in front of her. 
  "I am...your daughter, too." i said with a trickle of salted water, streaming down my blushing cheek. 
  The curve of her lips became even bigger as she was tearing for love. 


  ________________________________________________________________________________



  "So you think she's lying?" 
  Heading towards the waiting room of the hospital i found Rin and Ren, suspiciously talking with each other in the main hallway. 
  After reading between the lines and getting the secrecy mood's vibes, i hid myelf behind a corner, trying to overhear their conversation.
  "I don't know this for sure, but something doesn't add up." Ren voice was rather low and filled with mistrust. 
  "What do you mean, Nii-san?" 
  "First of all, she said she accidentally cut hearself while cooking, but her injury was too deep to be classified as a simple cut. Like, she 
  had been stabbed." 
  After hearing the word "stabbed" i abruptly jumped out of my hiding place and showed myself to the twins. 
  "No way! She would never stab herself!" i shouted. 
  Rin and Ren's faces were stunned by my sudden appearance. 
  "Haru wha-!" 
  I stood there, waiting for my answer and eager to skip the unnecessary reactions. 
  "Ahh, okay." Ren gave me a nod, inviting me to join their conversation. 
  "What's with this stabbing thing?" i bluntly asked without even caring about my high pitch. 
  "Shhh!" they both brought their forefingers to the lips as for asking me to keep it quite. 
  "Cutting to the chase, we think Mayura-sama was stabbed by someone." 
  Astonishment was clearly detectable in my eyes while i was ilistening to Ren's explanation.
  "But Nii-san, who could've done that? Beside, the house was full of other family members. An intruder would've been 
  easily spotted." 
  "Hmm..." The glasses-wearer guy started pondering with his chin wrapped in his fingers. "Nobody would betray the family neither." 
  Obviosly, hurting the blind head of the clan was pointless. It wouldn't have led to anywhere! 
  I turned my back to them. 
  "Maybe sleeping over it, it will clear our mind." i said as i started walking away. 
  "Haru, where are you going?" Rin asked. 
  Without even facing them and keep on stepping forth i answered, "I'm going home, staying here is a waste of time. Yuzuru will take care of mom." 


  ________________________________________________________________________________


  In my mind i was almost close to the end of that case, but i wanted to confirm my personal theory. 
  I didn't speak about what was going on with me to Ren and Rin, because i didn't want to trouble them for nothing. I didn't even have a name to explain it! 
  I made a fantasy in my brain, where everything was strangely connected, which i really wanted to test. 
  So i headed to the kitchen of our family's private apartment to examine the crime scene. 
  As i was already expecting, nobody was in the living room, which was a single room with the small but welcoming kitchen. 
  Carefully crossing the doorstep, i entered into that wide space and threw an eye over the work plan. 
  By that time, i could easily detect some blood stains, not even dried yet, spilled over the floor, the sink but mosty on the cutting board. 
  Nothing had been touched, the ingredients were still laying on the table. There was a pot with vegetables in, still supported on the turned off burners. 
  Just near the stove, i found the murder weapon! 
  It was a long-sharpened bread knife, still drenched in fresh blood. 
  I hadn't become a detective in one night, but after a while i noticed that the air in the room was quite heavy to breath and kinda polluted.
  Miasma? I asked myself as i was looking around. 
  However, my focus returned to the well-shaped knife laying on the wood and the more i was observing it, the more i started to 
  spot some rust on the edge and the handle, as well. 
  How was it possible? 
  I saw that knife at least a thousand times and nobody ever noticed it getting rusted. 
  Suddenly i felt tempted. I wanted to touch it! 
  A tiny voice in my mind was persuading me into putting my fingers on the edge and feel the hardness of the full-wooden handle. 
  My heartbeat started to rush again and my hands began to sweat and tremble.
  C'mon Haru, is just a knife! 
  Yes, the same knife which mysteriously stabbed my mother's hand!
  Shit. 
  Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, i carefully stretched my hand over the knife in the mere attempt to 
  touch it. But before i could even sense the coldness of the blade,incredibly, the object went up in white flames.
  I couldn't believe my eyes! The knife was suddenly burning!
  Also the enchanted pendant was throbbing with a bright light, again. So the knife was rotting from impurity and the charm burnt it in reaction. 
  I knew it.
  My mother hadn't been stabbed by someone, she had been, though, by something.
  And possibly that something was the same thing which had been haunting me all day. 
  Those white flames were speaking clearly: an impurity or an evil source had touched the knife and used it against my mother, to hurt her. 
  I was saying all that stuff in my head, but actually i was terrified. 
  My whole body now was trembling in fear, and sweat was pouring hard down my face, teeth were chattering and legs started feeling numb. 
  Something was chasing after me, and it was clearly ready to hurt the people around me in order to get me.
  What was i supposed to do? 
  I was alone in that situation. Without a weapon or a power. 
  Darkness was dancing around me. 



  ________________________________________________________________________________




  That night i couldn't get any sleep at all. 
  I kept on squirming inside my bedsheets, just like they were a mortal trap. Every single cell of my body was burning hot and feeling restless as i was 
  having the worst nightmares of my life. 
  I was standing on a water mirror, above my head there was clear blue sky with a big sun shining at the center, when suddenly a baleful wind started blowing and the 
  sky got covered in blood-red clouds, eating up the purity of the sun. The water mirror broke under my feet, letting me fall into the cold black-pitched waters. 
  While i was drowing further, tangled up with nasty hands, trying to bring me down, i was stretching my hand towards the small visible light above the surface 
  but, in the end, it died in the darkness. 
  I couldn't see a thing anymore but i felt like something was about to attack me. It was frightining! 
  At the same time, in reality, i was desperately gasping for air, but my lungs were like paralyzed. 
  I was so small. Big, yet small in front of the vestness of the black! 
  Shadows were all that was surrouding me, back then. I could sense them crawling under my bed and craving for a delicious bite of my 
  untainted heart. They wanted the purity of my blood and the clarity of my soul. 
  I was their favorite prey. 
  While i was crying startled in the apparent silence of my room, i heard a slight rumor of footsteps coming closer to my bed; and then i felt the sweet touch 
  of a big hand stroking my hair. 
  It calmed me down. Suddenly all the nightmares vanished away and a kind warmth spread throughout 
  my chest. 
  In the half-sleep of my body i couldn't properly recognized who was that person, but still now i like to think that it was my father. 




  ________________________________________________________________________________

  Author's note: 
  Inugami: basically a dog shikigami.


  Aaaad, cut! Yay, we finally arrived to the end of the fourth chapter! As you can see, things are starting to move pretty quickly! 
  Anyway i still want to thank all my silent readers who are secretly following the story but are too shy to leave a review. Thank you, i appreciate your views! 
  That's all for today, see you next chap! Stay tuned!