Never Ever Land

[takanimegumi]

Date: Tuesday,  February 7 - Wednesday February 8

Time: Evening, All Night, Morning.

Place: Kenshin's Nest Safe house, Lower District New Meiji, Streets of New Meiji, Library

Characters: Megumi

Megumi wasn’t sure how long she stood in the entrance of the little shack. Long enough for the slender form a man leaping from rooftop to rooftop to vanish. Even then, after her new friend was nothing more than a rapidly retreating memory, her eyes tracked towards where she thought he might be moving.

(He’s gone…)

She leaned against the door and looked outside at the darkening city. The sky was changing colors, now that there was no sun to keep it beautiful and blue.  She looked up above the nearly black silhouettes of the building and gazed up at the fading periwinkle heavens.  There were a couple of stars already out. Megumi looked at them and then realized that they were not stars at all, but planets, Jupiter and Venus, if she recalled correctly, their faint light diminished by light pollution.

Megumi glanced back at the now empty shack. It didn’t seem quite as cozy and comforting as it had been when another person had shared the space with her. She stepped outside, wincing as her bare feet hit the cold roof. It was cold. She exhaled, her breath heavy with mist, and took several more steps until she was standing on the edge of the roof.

Leaning over slightly, she looked down at the ground below. Illuminated by the occasional vehicle moving quickly (trying to get out of the neighborhood no doubt) the street was a black line punctuated by traffic lights and a couple of streetlamps that hadn’t been shot out. She took one more step till her toes were off the lip of the roof and she was balancing precariously on the balls of her heels.

(It would be so easy…) Megumi shifted her weight a little (just to lean forward and fall…). She longed to experience the sensation of flying again, of being weightless, her shoulders freed of burdens and her heart devoid of care. There would be a price for that moment of peace. There always was.

She hesitated for what seemed like an eternity, a bloody whip thin figure perched on an impossibly high precipice and then took a step back. (I made a promise…we made a promise to each other, one that was binding) Megumi glanced down at her finger, focusing on the smallest digit and smiled slightly. While her death would not necessarily negate her vow, it would be going against what she felt was the spirit of the tradition that she’d made with her friend.  (He would not want me to do such a thing…)

And so Megumi took another step back, and then another. She sat down on the roof, bringing her knees up against her chest and wrapping her skinny arms around herself in a comfortless hug. More stars, real stars were appearing in the sky. Had she been on the ground she could not see them, the building was that high.  Megumi tried to count the shimmering objects, but more began to appear and she lost count, focusing instead on the moon, the pale sibling of the sleeping sun that was beginning to rise on the far side of the rooftop.

Less bright, but just as beautiful as the sun, the moon began its wordless ascent – moving inexorably upwards over another set of buildings, spilling out icy, silvery light on the city below. There was no comfort to be gained by this rising, not an iota of warmth to enjoy or be sustained from. The moon was pitiless, cold and uncaring, a stoic celestial body that had far better things to do than ponder on the lonely people below its tangent.

The wind was picking up. Megumi felt it tugging on her hair, moving through the worn, torn clothing she was wearing. She shivered and reluctantly stood and slowly walked back to the dark little shack. Shutting the door behind her, she looked around the room. There was an electric crank light on one of the many boxed piled up. She took it and twisted the handle till a sickly yellow light began to glow from the LED Panels. It wasn’t much, but more than enough for her needs.

She then ate, forcing herself to consume the rest of the onigiri and rice and drink another bottle of water. When she was finished she washed the dishes and rice cook as best she was able, not wanting to leave Kenshin’s little nest in a mess.

(And leave I must…) She thought as she tip toed over to the trap door that she’d shown her. She raised it with a creak and looked down at the dark set of stairs that wound down into pitch black darkness. At looked dark and terrifying to travel down. Megumi quickly shut the trap door, her face paling with apprehension.

She remembered Kenshin’s warning and decided to stay put for one more night. (I’ll leave tomorrow…when the sun is back up) She decided, moving back towards the pile of blankets next to the boxes. She sat down, wrapped the blankets around her and for the first time, noticed the journal she was holding in her hands, a journal that Kenshin had written in and given to her. It was....dusty. Frowning, Megumi brushed at the dust, then paused, gently rubbing the soft grit between his fingers. (This isn't dust...it's ash)

She looked at the journal, wondering what story it told in between its ash covered bindings and carefully opened it and began to read.

.