Fog-Chapter 8: Truths

Chapter 81

Truths2

“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”3

-Galileo Galilei4

Takano winced as the healer’s needle flew in and out of the wound, skillful but still painful. Healing powers were never squandered on relatively trivial wounds. Takano knew that, but at the moment it was just hard to remember.5

~*~6

The patrol had been after a nest of relatively minor douguro in the heart of the city ; rumor h ad it that they were the ones responsible for recent disappearances in that sector of town. That being said, the group never got that far. An ambush was waiting for them, not far from the place Ryuu was attacked the other night. 7

There were three of them; they moved like lightning, as usual, and though Takano and his companions could move just as fast at times, the douguro group seemed to have the aid of desperation---they overpowered them easily, almost distractedly. As Takano and his companions had frantically retreated, one caught up to him.8

He had prepared himself to die, to end, as he realized he was beaten. But then it seemed that a flicker of intense interest, then hesitation passed over that close, impossibly perfect face, and foreign violet eyes darkened. A flash of metal as the other had gone for a long, curved knife. Takano whirled to the side just in time to avoid serious injury, but still the cruel fang cut it’s way almost to the bone. The world quivered for a moment and he had screamed. Recovering composure suddenly, and blocking the pain signals his brain was frantically sending, Takano had caught a glimpse of silver hair in the moonlight, softly curling, his enemy, one of the douguro as he went on his way, jumping up onto the fire escape of a nearby high-rise and climbing deftly. Running a little lopsidedly to catch up with his companions, Takano then let go of the energy-consuming block and let the pain wash over him, a clean, sharp feeling in the muddy, dulled night.9

~*~10

Now numbness was beginning to set in, as the wound was sewed up and bandaged. Takano stood, a little shaky from blood loss, and thanked the healer.11

It was time to face the metaphorical music.12

Takano stalled, carefully washing the congealed blood from his fingers, grimacing just a little at the bits that stubbornly stuck under his fingernails. A sigh. At least the blood was his…13

~*~14

Ryuu did not move when he saw his brother stagger in, he only sighed and re-closed his eyes. That was the price of this life. And Takano could come to him after he got his arm fixed if he wanted to talk. Ryuu knew he was being ungrateful, irrational, petty, and a few worse things, but he just couldn’t bring himself to move. All his willpower had dissolved, had become more immaterial than the barest wisp of smoke. He may have actually drifted off, his exhausted soul taking over his body and falling into a sleep blessedly free of dreams.15

The next thing he knew, Ryuu was jolting awake from a hand that gently nudged his shoulder. He lost his balance and fell over for a moment, then untangled long limbs and squinted upward at his brother, eyes still a little bleary from the sleep. Takano 16

gestured for Ryuu to follow, then moved a little ways away.17

Silence covered the underground cathedral of the hopeless. Breathing was barely audible in the echoing space. Silence. An immaterial and wholly unnatural state---but still one so necessary. Humanity must have silence. Perhaps it has to do with some sort of inner quiet, perhaps not. Perhaps in the depths of their souls people need to feel alone, to feel invincible, to feel important in that one moment, blanketed in an all-encompassing quiet. Because the rest of the time, at least in this world, nothing was more insignificant than the individual. 18

Their footsteps made soft echoing noises as the sound bounced off high walls. Takano spoke, nervously, foolishly (as he would have realized if he would have stopped to think about it).19

“Um…,” he cleared his throat anxiously, “how’re the parents?”20

Ryuu gave an incredulous snort of derisive laughter. “ And I’m supposed to know any better than you?” He scoffed. “Get off the subject. I don’t care.”21

The pair kept on walking after that, Takano disarmed and Ryuu unable to bring himself to speak.22

“I’m going about this all wrong,” Takano began, “let me start at the beginning, and then you can either say your piece or decide that you never want to see me again. I won’t hold onto you.” He winced and sucked in his breath in a hiss as he knocked his injured arm against a loose brick in the wall, then straightened.23

Ryuu waited as Takano grew silent, gathering his thoughts. In all likelihood, parts of this story would be repeated from what he already knew, although the knowledge was spotty. But he remembered how his brother was about this sort of thing, needing to do things properly and so on. Beside him, Takano looked forward into the darkness and began his tale.24

“ I know you want an explanation of me, how I came to be here, what really happened, why I left…” he seemed to drift off for a moment. “But to get to that point, we have to start at the beginning, pr thereabouts, of it all, or I fear that you will not understand me. And to get to the beginning, we have to start with that most ancient of enemies.” His eyes grew minutely more sorrowful as they walked.25

“It was before the wars ever started that the douguro were first recorded. Hell, some think they caused the wars. They may have been here even long before, thought. Strange epidemics strike some and not others, groups of tourists disappear, children vanish from locked rooms, these things are only rarely connected, but there are those who believe that such occurrences have been perpetrated by the douguro since long before the wars, even. There are those religious fanatics today who, while ignorant as to the facts of their existence, have seen through the veil at some point, and believe that some new wave of fallen angels or demons is come to punish humanity. I don’t hold much by that theory.26

“Wherever they came from, however, they came to be here, and how that came about is hardly the most important thing, in our era.27

“The douguro first began to slowly grow in numbers and power starting in the beginning of the wars. There were old-world pre-wartime scientists and mystics who first began to notice this increase. But the douguro were careful. Only rarely did they add to their ranks, and the wars provided a perfect cover for their much more frequent killings---these things do happen in war. People thought it was some new deadly form of gas that caused perfectly healthy people to be found dead, asleep, seemingly. But, like the power of an avalanche, that which starts slowly inevitably garners enough destructive powre to demolish everything in its path.28

“And now the douguro are the most powerful that they have ever been. We suspect that many hold government positions, and those who do not hold the greater power to be had---underworld dealings, corruption, assassination, drug trafficking, bribery, and blood money.29

“Now they grow more audacious. While they still keep to the shadows, to corners and to the edges of man’s thought, they take more people, more frequently, and are less adept at covering their tracks.” At this Takano looked sidelong at Ryuu.30

“I really am sorry about Hikaru, truly I am, but his death is a good example of what I am saying. Time was, you would never have known what happened to him. It would have been as if he had simply disappeared from existence. Would that have been easier to take?” he whispered, “I wonder.”31

Ryuu was quiet, he was tired of thinking about it. Forgetfulness felt preferable at the moment. Takano continued.32

“It is only in the past few years that they have acquired this new boldness. We fear they are about to make a move, after biding their time for so long.”33

Ignoring Ryuu’s puzzled look, he went on.34

“Our own story started when I was a second-year student in high school. That morning was bright, transparently happy; summer break was coming up and nobody was focusing. There was some sort of an announcement apparently (I didn’t hear it---wasn’t paying attention) about some sort of mandatory health screening. They said at the beginning of gym class that it would take up very little time. 35

“That’s really ironic, now, isn’t it? Time. Oh, yes, none of my time was lost, none of my life was lost at all!” 36

Takano smiled bitterly, his eyes narrowing in a moment of resentment. Then he forced himself to relax, and continued his story.37

“The so-called ‘screening’ was really quite odd---but we were used to strange proceedings. Since the wars, such things were commonplace occurrences.38

“I remember I was messing around with my friends when they walked in, and I remember that everything suddenly went really quiet, so I looked up to see why. I remember being startled, but just a little.39

“A couple of people in black suits walked in, young and quiet, with a cold imposing air about them that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. The Health teacher just split us off into our usual teams and went on with the class as if no altercation had been made. The strangers just leant against the cliché school wall---large bricks that have had dozens of coats of paint spread over them until they acquire that unhealthy-looking sheen---, as they observed the goings-on from behind dark, mirrored sunglasses. For a while they did this, standing still, expressionless, then they left, just like that.40

“This was weird, but you know how teenagers are,” Takano grinned, shooting a meaningful glance at Ryuu, who glared back at him.41

“ As long as the truth of something does not walk right up and slap them across the face, these things are none of their concern. Of course, I was no different42

“As we left after class, I looked over my shoulder and saw the same two people come back in and start to go over some names in the class roster with my teacher. As I turned again to leave, I could have sworn that I saw a glint in mirrored sunglasses as one made eye contact with me, never changing his expression. I shook it off. No. No way I could have caught that through those sunglasses, I told myself. That was just stupid.43

“Anyways, nothing much happened. School ended, summer began, and you know as well as I what that summer was like.”44

Ryuu did know. Their parents had taken a trip to the intact parts of Old Europe, and Takano had been left to take care of Ryuu. Takano had still tried to make the summer fun for his younger brother---he remembered trips on bike to parks and beaches, to watch others’ fireworks in the festivities, to sneak into movies. It had been an adventure to Ryuu at the time, even at that age. And when Ryuu had asked when Mommy and Daddy were coming home, Takano had done his best to calm him down. Even though he himself had not known if or when they’d be back, and by the end of the break the money was running out and Takano was having to scramble. It was of no consequence in the end. They came back. Like a bad cold. Uncanny, really.45

Takano continued, “They must have been waiting to make sure that you were well taken care of----don’t give me that look, Ryuu, I didn’t say it---before they made their…offer. You see---”46

He suddenly stiffened, putting up a hand to silence Ryuu’s sudden questioning look. A flash went through his dark eyes, and a sudden look of shock ran over his face. Ryuu was about to ask what was wrong when his older brother cursed vehemently and threw himself to the floor, dragging Ryuu down with him. 47

For the space of one-half of a heartbeat, there was an all-pervasive silence. Then an explosive sound, somewhat muffled by the ground above, ripped through the tunnels. Immediately afterwards, a violent shuddering ran through the immediate area, shaking several stones loose onto the huddled forms. Then silence again. Total silence. Above the ground, city birds flew away, screeching, from a cloud of dust and flames that had suddenly flowered, a still form in the center.48