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 Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 3:12 pm
 RP CONTESTOVERStarts: February 12 at 6pm EST
Ends: February 16 at 6pm EST [1.] Anyone may participate. [2.] You can only write one entry. [3.] Please make sure that when you post, it is the final version of your entry, I do not wish for anyone to edit their post. [4.] This contest is FREE! You do not have to pay if you win. [5.] Follow the step below if you are interested in entering. RP Plot Kakiyuu was cleaning on the front of the temple when a strange noise came to her ears. She stopped all movements and listened carefully. Then it did it again. A scratching noise coming from the side of the temple? She stood there for another moment, and as it did it again she let go of her broom and slowly walked along the side walk, to then step in the fresh grass and make her way to the side. As she reached the corner she stopped and listened to the scratching noise once again. What could be doing such noise? she thought. She leaned over and peaked around the corner to see and to her surprise a Shikokuyen was scratching against the side door of the temple. What could he be doing? It was an adult male, green like the forest. Kakiyuu then decided to step around and greet the new comer. All Shikokuyens were welcome to this temple and did not need to hide. "Hello!" she said with a quick smile. The green male looked in her direction in slight shock. But he remained silent, and so did Kakiyuu. He then looked around as if he was searching for her. Kakiyuu blinked and then moved to her right, making noise against the grass. The male looked in her direction, his ears perked forward. And then she realized. He is blind! The white-ish color covering his eyes was the only way she could tell, other than the fact that he was listening to know where she was. She approached him slowly, "It's okay. I only want to help you." He made a few steps back, but then stopped with her words. A small smile came accross his face and he nodded.  - Roleplay as yourself meeting this Shikokuyen for the first time - Roleplay this Shikokuyen in a new environment(either it's the Shikoku Temple, the forest, whatever fancies, as long its not in a city and doesn't go against the original shop story) - Roleplay with your current Shikokuyen, meeting this one Please refrain from posting in this thread if you are not participating in the contest.
If you wish to comment about the entries, do so in the main thread!!Good luck to everyone!
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Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 3:50 pm
RP Contest Entry! Treading softly through the forest, the male Shikoku listened carefully, his eyes twitching at every sound they picked up. Not too high over his head, a mother bird was feeding her chicks. To his left, a pair of squirrels were chasing each other in what he assumed was a game of tag. A little ways to his right, he heard something unfamiliar. Blinking sightless eyes, he changed directions and trotted toward the unusual noise.
He had been blind for as long as he could remember, so he saw no reason for anyone to pity him. It annoyed him when others thought less of him just because he didn’t see the world like everyone else. With his hearing, he was able to map out the world in his mind, and with his sense of smell, he was able to identify different things; to him that was just as good as having sight.
Chuckling to himself, he recalled his early years as he continued walking through the forest. Before he learned how to use his other sense, he would walk right into trees and other things. Now, he could listen to the rustle of leaves and smell the scent of bark in the air to figure out where trees were so that he could avoid them.
The ground beneath his feet shifted, puzzling the green Shikoku. The land was no longer packed dirt but shifting particles that felt odd under his paws. Now a new scent wafted through the air. Something like salt mixed with water. He heard the soft crashing of the salt-scented water lapping at the land. A bird that he didn’t recognize cawed from high in the air above him.
Something tugged at his heart. For the first time, he wanted to see what this land looked like with his eyes.
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Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 8:20 pm
Prompt Roleplay as yourself meeting this Shikokuyen for the first time! <3 Rp Contest Entry! The forest green Shikoku, mixed with the bushes of the forest as he hears a strange noise. He backs up and looks around him, trying to find the direction the sound was coming from. A person came from behind him. He turned and steps closer to the person. He bumps into the person and looks up.
Puppy looks down at the forest green Shikoku. She gasped as if he belong to someone. But she notice that his eyes was different from a regular Shikoku. The wind blows in the male Shikoku and Puppy's hair. He looks around him and seeing what that was. "Its okay. Its just the wind." Puppy said as she is still shocked that the Shikoku was blind.
She squated down so she could be eye to eye with the male Shikoku. "Hello." She paused to smile. "What's your name?" She asked as the wind got stronger. He stares at her direction. "Wh...Where am I?" He paused. "Who are you?" The male Shikoku asked. "Well. You're in the forest. Next to the Shikoku Temple." She said. "Also, my name is Puppy." She grined.
He grins as it seems that he haven't heard a voice in a while. "Its nice to meet you Puppy." He smiles. He looks up as the sun was setting. "Why can't I see anything? Whats going on?" He paniced. "Whoa.. Calm down. I'm afraid to say this but." She took a deep breath. "But... You are blind. Thats why you can't see anything.." She said as she looks at his eyes. "You have such beautiful eyes.. Its a shame that you are blind.." She stood up. "I have an idea!" She yelled. The forest green Shikoku looked at her direction like she was crazy. "What's the idea, Puppy?"
She jumps around. "I can teach you how to see things without exactlly seeing them!" She yelled again. "What do you mean?" He asked. "Well.. Try to picture a tree. A thick trunk and apple green leaves, blowing though the wind." She whipsered. "I see it. I see it!" He exclaimed. "Thats great! But its only the beginning." Puppy whipered to the forest green Shikoku. "But you never anwsered my question in the beginning of this wonderful meeting. What is your name..?" He looks at her direction. "I have no name Puppy.."
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Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 8:29 pm
First and for most I apologize for the length of this entry. Yes it's under two pages, though in size 11 times new roman font. But I hope you enjoy the entry regardless, I had a lot of fun writing it. The type of prompt that I chose was the second option, the one in which the male Shikokuyen finds himself in a new environment. Basic summary is that the first portion is his past, second portion is coming to the temple, and finally the last portion has to do with more indepth opinions of the new place he has found himself in. I hope I did this right. It was dark. For as long as he could remember it was always dark, he could not escape it. Open your eyes. That is what the voice said and he did what it said. But still the darkness lived on. Some moments he felt like he could see a light within the darkness but it was so faint and blurry that it really was not there. Blind. That is what they said, he assumed the they were his family but to this day he was unsure if they really were his family.
What was blind? Was it his inability to see anything but darkness? He did not know. A time when he was young he wanted to play with the others but they were scared of him, he could smell their fear. With being blind came better hearing, a heightened sense of smell, and an ability to detect the emotions he could not see. He could not see things but he could sense things around him. When looking upon things with his cloudy eyes, an outline appeared in his mind. It was how he thought the thing looked like.
He should of felt lucky for the gifts that he was blessed with but he did not. If he was lucky he would have been like everyone else. But he was not and for that he was always shunned from the others, he was not accepted by groups and that left him utterly alone. For years he was alone, the ones he thought were his family could not be family for why would they vanish? A family would not leave behind a member, would they? He was not so sure. When he asked questions he was told to be silent. To be accepted he was obedient to their requests, he was silent. He had just wanted to be accepted but never was. That was the reason as to why he left. They told him it was dangerous but he ignored them all.
They acted like they finally cared but was it truly a caring gesture? For as long as he could recall he was always pushed away and when he finally could not take anymore they acted like they cared but did they? It could of just been a guilty conscience, trying to pry its way out of constraints and stop him. He, who would be the most likely to die out there. Years of being shunned made him even more unsure about himself and the world. What colour was the sky the others talked about? Was the ocean really so beautiful? He did not even know what he looked like because no one ever talked to him. They may say it was cruel of him to leave but who could blame him?
Difficulties came then. He had trouble finding his way, and the smells and sounds around him clouded his mind. Many times he fell or found himself in a sticky situation; however, he never met another that could of harmed him. There were moments when he wished he was back home, many times he was ready to give up but that faint voice inside of him always said no. He could not understand why. He thought if he wished to be left alone he would. But the subconscious was something to not be understood. It told him no and inside he knew he had to go on. He had to get away and start again. It was a mission for himself to determine whether or not he could survive. He did and from surviving it led him there.
**********
This place radiated good vibes, something he had never felt before. It was like a small, endlessly glowing light. The place appealed to him, his mind was at rest. He went further into the place, he could hear the soft sounds of the rustling wind in trees, the dripping sounds of a waterfall, and the plop of an apple falling on the ground. His nose flared with the smells of fresh grass from newly fallen rain, and of something else. Food? He continued onwards.
His four legs went along the dewed grass. Water stuck to him, soaking his fur with every step he took. It was mindless, this place attracted him like no other place had before. His tail feathers blew in the air with every gust of wind. He ruffled his wings. He continued crisply along his way, the scent of food heightening with each step he took. It was as if he was closer to his goal, closer to being somewhere new. But around him was something he had never experienced before so why did he have to continue farther on? Because he felt as if he needed to go there, the center of it all.
Bump. He supposed he should have been paying more attention to where he was going, but the smells and sounds of everything around him caused his mind to become hazy with the thought of a place that was new and more homely than where he grew up in. He scratched at the structure he had bumped into, his front legs pawed at the entrance. He knew he had to get in there, he just had to.
That is when he heard it. A voice, but a voice that was not his nor the voice within him. He froze in shock, he had never heard anything like it and it stopped him completely in his tracks. It was soft yet powerful and his head whipped to the left, where the voice came from. He looked towards the being, or at least he thought he was looking at her, and waited.
Help you. That was what his mind told him. The being wished to help him? But why? No one ever wished to help him before. He took shaking steps back, fear ate away at him. But the voice came to him again and he stopped. The being wanted to help and he could feel as if he could believe it. He nodded slowly, he could trust this being, he could only sense purity and good vibes from the being. Light, that was what he felt, a warmth like no other. A small smile appeared on his mouth, something he could never remember doing.
Ever.
**********
He stayed at this place. A temple of Shikoku, that is what he heard it was. As much as he liked the temple and the being who watched over it, he preferred the smells and sounds of the outside. Inside the temple, he could still faintly smell the grass and the flowers all around but it was not as fresh of a smell inside here than it was outside with everything all around. The temple had an old smell to it, aged and tangy.
He liked the smell, it was crisp and sharp; however, he missed the freshness of the outdoors. Outside the smells surrounded him close to the point of suffocation but he liked it, he liked the numerous smells that came all around him whenever he went outdoors. From the sweet scent of flowers, to the juicy and fruity scent to the apples above.
The sound of a scroll dropping made his ears perk up in interest. He enjoyed the clanging noises of items falling onto the ground, it was a game with himself that he played. At first he could not distinguish what the items were but now he was beginning to pinpoint which sound belonged to what. It was pleasing and since he knew no one from this area except for the being who helped him, he could easily amuse himself.
Since coming here he felt safe, away from danger. He still somewhat hoped that the others around here would accept him for who he is and not care that he was blind but for now he forget all of the troubles of his past and move on with the future. He would not worry until the time came when he would meet another and if he was forced to he would ignore the whispers that may sprout from him being blind.
Finding this place made him realize something, he was the one who could decide how he wished to live and no one could change his mind. Sure he was unable to see but that would not stop him from living his life, around this Shikoku Temple. This place was like the light within the darkness, he may only see darkness but he could feel the warmth and light all around him. This place is the start of a new beginning.
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Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 8:41 pm
Eep a slight alteration in something. I meant size 10, not size 11 sweatdrop . Yeah just wanted to mention that, it's actually a bit over two pages with size 11. Sorry for the slight mistake, I wasn't paying complete attention. I hope you don't mind this post, but I didn't want to edit my original post.
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Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 8:50 pm
I wanted with this entry to pair Kimi's self-centered, woman-of-the-world personality with that of someone who was calm and poised. I think it turned out quite nicely, and the contrast worked really well. "Of course it would take Kimi hours to figure out that he was blind." XD You may notice that the 'blind' one in this story isn't exactly Kiyoshi. I went for a more light-heared, anything-is-possible feel for this story. Maybe, even, romance. <3Blind Lost. Kimi had never considered herself the type to get lost. Finding her way had always seemed so easy to her, second nature. But she had really pushed it now, wandered just a little too far from home. She was honestly lost. And of all the places to possibly be lost, a forest had to be one of the scariest. She had always loved the color green, but now she was overwhelmed by it. It was everywhere, in varying shades, all running together, each tree exactly the same, yet somehow completely different all at the same time, like a monster from another world, looming over her. A whole pack of monsters. Overwhelmed with irrational fear, the young Shikokuyen burst into a run, tearing through the trees. Branches slapped her across the face, tearing at her fur and threatening to rip her hair and wings out. Shikokuyen, apparently, were not known for being aerodynamic. Kimi was discovering this the hard way as she tripped over a root and was sent skidding on her face with a sob of terror. Always in the stories there were paths in forests, and the heroine was never attacked by trees. Moblins, goblins, beasties, yes! But never by something as pitiful as trees themselves. Kimi curled into a ball of helpless hopelessness, sobbing in fear. "My, my, that is most dramatic scene I have witnessed in years." The voice caught Kimi by such suprise that her tears were startled from her. She looked up, hesitantly, and was surprised to find another Shikokuyen. His accent was odd, as though his speech itself was clipped. He was the color of the moss growing on the trunk behind him, slashed with white. No wonder she hadn't seen him. His fur was tufted oddly, not carefully groomed to perfection as hers was. Or, rather, had been before she'd taken her mad dash through the forest. "Who're you?" She squeaked, and hiccuped. The Shikokuyen laughed, a delightfully musical laugh that gave him a sudden mysteriously graceful air. "Kiyoshi. That is what I call myself." He held himself with a rare and powerful dignity, staring intently at the tree behind her. Her head cocked to the side in curiosity, Kimi rose, slowly, to her feet. "Kiyoshi." She repeated, testing the name on her tongue. "You saved me." "Hardly." Kiyoshi purred dryly. "If I saved you from anything, it was from yourself." "Myself? What did I do?" What was his problem, blaming this on her? He didn't answer her question. "Where did you come from, little one?" He asked in his quiet, heavy accent. Little one?! She wasn't a kid! Okay...well, maybe she was, but she wasn't that much of a kid! "It doesn't matter." She sniffed haughtily. "I can find my own way back. 'Sides. I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." "Mm." Kiyoshi murmurred distractedly. To prove her superiority, Kimi marched right past him, nose in the air. Her scream echoed through the trees. She found her back foot caught between teh jaws of a living flytrap. "Careful." Kiyoshi warned belatedly. "Gee, thanks for all the help." Kimi growled, trying to shake her foot loose. "You wanna give me a hand, Macho Man?" "Does it whistle or click?" Kiyoshi asked, not moving from where he stood, watching to her left. "What does that have to do with - OW!" Kimi's disgruntled snap become a whimper of pain. "It whistles." She blubbered pitifully. "Ah. Then step on its roots." Kimi listened to him this time, stepping heavily on teh plant's roots. It immediately released her leg. Not wanting to get caught again, she scurried out of the plant's reach, running behind Kiyoshi, who suddenly appeared a great deal handsomer than he had a few moments ago, and buried her face in his side. "So you know your way out?" Kiyoshi asked, almost as though he already knew the answer. "Well, not exactly..." Kimi muttered sheepishly. "I will lead you back to your civilization. Follow me. Closely, if you please." And he started off, his steps light, deliberate, and bizarrely graceful. Kimi kept close to the older Shikokuyen. Very close. Kiyoshi was odd, different. But not entirely in a bad way. There was...something about him, that was...well, different. But likable. Of course, it would take Kimi hours to figure out that he was blind.
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Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:53 pm
((eh.. i'm going to do madoka and the green male meeting))
he walked around the temple with his tail rubbing against its walls. where is this place? he thought,i knew i heard noises here beforewalking around, he heard a crunch of leaves,instinctively his ears focussed at the sound and tried to pin-point where it came from.front of you a voice said... living in eternal darkness, only depending on his ears,life was hard. remembering his child-hood where he only had bits and peices of sounds and feelings to remember.
madoka jumped down from teh temple's step onto the pile of leaves in front. "crunch!!!" she sat there and looked around, there seemed to be no one around. being still not satisfied with the lound crunch of leaves she trotted around the temple to look for a ball or something round. that was until she saw a green adult male in a position that looked liked he was going to jump. madoka was delighted! she trotted over to him gracefully and nudged him in the leg.
a soft trotting came closer and closer until something nudged his front leg. he let down his wings to feel the little one.he could feel the presence of this little critter that nudged him in fact he could even tell that it was a playful female! his wings went back to his back as he settled down to rest. it was sunset and he was worried that the little one might get lost.
madoka sneezed softly as the adults wings went over her nose. she lokked up at him and wondered why his eyes were so unique. it was getting dark and so she lay down with him to rest.
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Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 8:49 pm
(( Since I recently obtained a Shikoku, I've decided that I'm going to RP him meeting our blind friend here.
Sorry if the ending's too corny or the writing's too crappy...xD;; ))
The Offering of Friendship
Small ripples in the water formed as Ryoichi kicked a few pebbles into the lake. He had wandered from his owner earlier that day out of boredom, perhaps with just a tinge of curiosity. The orange Shikoku stopped his actions to take a real look at the scenery that surrounded him. This area was new to him since he had grown up in the temple and had never been far from it until now.
This area was truly beautiful and the way the sun was hitting the water now made the view absolutely breathtaking. Ryoichi's eyelids closed as he took this time to breathe deeply and take in the fresh air surrounding him. Of course, there was fresh air wherever he went due to their current location but it seemed that the air in this place was…...different. It almost felt as if it had magic in every molecule.
It was then that he heard something in the forest behind him. It almost sounded like......a voice? Curiosity tugged at his heart and with that, he started to move toward the sound. With each step the sound became more clear and it was now definite that it was a voice; a panicked voice at that.
He had finally reached the source of the voice and at that Ryo's eyes widened. In front of him stood a cowering, forest colored Shikoku that seemed to have been crying. Wanting to help, Ryo stepped forward. But as he took a step forward, the other stepped back.
"W-w-who a-are you?" asked the green Shikoku. It's eyes looked straight at him but something about his stare didn't seem quite.....right. The horrified expression on his face made Ryo feel a bit of pity toward this creature. What could have done this to him?
"W-who are you?" he asked again and this time, with a bit more force and confidence. Silence lingered in the air for a while as the two stood. After a few more seconds of this pause, Ryo watched as the Shikoku's fear transformed into an unpredicted anger.
"Who are you?! Were you the one who did this to me?! WERE YOU?!" And with that, he charged and headed straight in one direction. Straight towards a tree. Before Ryo could even say a single word, it was too late. The head of messy green hair had ran straight into the thick brown trunk. The Shikoku stood at that position for a moment before collapsing on the ground and breaking out into tears.
"Why? Why?! Why would this happen to me?" he whispered to himself as he sobbed. At the sight of this, Ryo made spoke his first words at last.
"Hey buddy, you okay there?" After getting no response from his stupid question he continued, "My name's Ryoichi. You're blind right? I didn't do this to you but I wanna help. Come on, it's getting dark. I can lead you to a safe place and we can figure things out from there. That sound okay?" After getting a dull nod Ryo walked forward, offering his sun-kissed tail as a tool to lead this creature to the temple, and in a strange way, as an offering of friendship.
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Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 7:25 pm
{Note: This is broken into two parts. Part I tells a background story on him, telling his past, family, how he became blind and relation to Kazuki and Katsumi. Part II is the answer to the prompt if he would meet one of them. The end sentence: 'Fuyu no tsuki’s kira-kira inori' Means ' Winter moon's glittering prayer' (or something close to such) Also when he refers to Amaterasu he means the sun or sun's rays, as Amaterasu is the Japanese female name for 'sun goddess'} *^*
You do not know of me, but let me tell you my story. It will not take so much time, I promise. In the end of it you will learn of me, my children, my children’s children and you shall know how I came to be who I am to this point in time. So if you are willing to listen to an old man’s tale then please keep your ears wide and your eyes focused. You may cry at the light heart break that entitles you to want to become a ‘better person’ but it makes no difference to me. For even while you cry only your soft sobs will penetrate my ears, nose and heart. Now let us begin this saddening tale.
Part I:
My name is Saburo. I was the youngest of three brothers. My brothers, Taro and Seiji together are five minutes older than me. Seiji is the middle child, being born two minutes before me and my eldest brother Taro, born three minutes before me. We grew up in harmony together, and you could always find us around the meadows and forest of the island. Everyday we found something new for us to enjoy. Whether it was food or leisure, we would never shy away from something new to us. We continued to discover so much to a point that our mother Asami would always call us the threesome of discovery. Taro was always the leader of the three, helping father gather food as an adolescent. He was bold, ambitious and never backed down from a fight. I still have fond memories of Seiji and him wrestling, father encouraging them, mother trying to separate the two from their brawl and I watching from the sidelines, too young to join in. I only believed mother ever understood my baby mewls at that tender age, as she looked at me during those times with a soft smile of angelic purity. She knew in my heart I was rooting for both to win.
Then there was Seiji. I felt like I could relate to him much easier than Taro since we were both the younger brothers. Whenever my mother was too busy or my father just didn’t care we would go into the far mountains and talk to each other. Unlike with Taro or my father I felt like I didn’t have to choose my words carefully or always keep a fazed smile on. It was the healthiest relation I had in my whole family, but even it eventually blew with the rest of the wind, along with the rest of my forsaken family. Most of the time Seiji would hang out with Taro though, and those times were the loneliest. It made me want to have someone talk to besides my dearest mother and the crisp autumn sun. Even now I envy Taro in the sky.
Finally there was my beloved mother, Asami and my judgmental father, Norio. Both were dedicated to raising us. At times in my selfish thoughts I still scorn my father as he floats along the rising ocean. He never cherished me as much as my mother and my elder brothers. It was because I was the only one who actually survived. Even then I don’t think he understood what I lost because of his torturous acts. That’s what made me think horrible thoughts about him. The kind of ideas parents and elders always told you to put behind you; and to just move on. He even told me before his death that I was the most pathetic out of his three children. His last words drifted away from Shikoku Island with the wind on his death day along with my crystal tears. They were not tears that you would expect to come out of a child’s eyes after their birth father passed into the clouds. My tears were blinded with happiness.
What did he do to me that was so horrible you say? No he did not try to kill me, it would be too easy. He wanted me to never see the world for what it was. Not to see my children, but for them to see me, asking all the time if they looked beautiful. I could never answer them and it made me want to just bawl out tears like an infant. Using Amaterasu and her mythical light he took my eyes right from their place. After he did the cruel act he simply vanished off the island. I only found him again on his death bed, cursing at me in spite. On his death I just smiled, unable to see the demon’s departure but knowing it was at hand. It’s his fault that it happened to me and I am only thankful to the gods that this wretched family hatred did not pass through my bloods veins.
It was on a summer’s morning. Seiji, Taro and I were around the forest playing around. Back then we were just young adolescents, still learning and keeping our precious seconds with each other tucked into our hearts. Norio was out gathering supper and mother was picking some dew covered tulips and daisies. She loved flowers so much. Sometimes I overheard her in my infantile years talking to Norio about trying for a fourth child; but try to have it be a girl. He refused, countering with the same argument each time she would bring the small proposition up. “What if the child turned out to be a boy? We could add another young disappointment into our heritage.” Back then his words didn’t hurt so much because I didn’t even understand half of them. Now I would look back and curse at myself for not telling mother about his cruelty. Though I had a feeling she knew quite well.
We were playing along the river bank near the meadows where mother was picking flowers that day. That’s when a little play act turned into a tragedy. I playfully shoved Taro near the riverbank, but he had slipped on some wet mossy grass. He tripped and fell straight into the running river. I started to giggle merrily feeling accomplished in finally besting my older brother for just a split moment. That’s when I heard Seiji’s cries. He started to run along the side of the bank, following the rapid river that carried Taro mercilessly. I had gasped in shock and started to cry for our mother, hoping that she would come to Taro’s rescue. As I cried for her help I continued to trample over my own paws, running sloppily after Seiji and Taro.
A glorious heavenly figure answered my child plea and out of nowhere I noticed mother flying in the air, heading down towards the riverbank. My paws immediately stopped in their tracks without a trace of thought and my pleading tears turned into light drops of joy. Everything will be alright now, you say? Do you expect us to all go back home into the meadows after mother rescued Taro and everything would be as nature and time intended? No that is not the case in this tale my friends. Nor is it the case in any tales, of love, family and friendship. This story cannot have a happy ending.
Mother swooped down towards the running river, attempting to catch Taro. As I looked onward towards the end of the river I noticed a natural sight that was even a horror now. A waterfall that lead to the abyss of nowhere but the winding end of the tale. She continued to try and catch him, seeing that with each rapid he went through life was slowly falling off his soul. Mother wasn’t going to be able to catch Taro in time; even I knew that too well. Seiji did not think ahead as I planned. He jumped into the air and started to fly crookedly towards Taro, hoping to catch him as well. Seiji was the worst flyers of the three of us. Norio said Seiji was born with crooked wings and I was born with crooked hopes. Taro in Norio’s eyes was the perfect child. He was without fear, reliable and was praised by Norio constantly; being told that he would carry on our great heritage. Our heritage was a mockery and I wanted no part in it after Norio vanished with my eyes. Ironically I had to be the one to carry it on after my brothers went into the blue.
Seiji had miraculously grabbed a hold of Taro’s wings, attempting to pull him out of the rapids. Mother had yelped out for Seiji to stop, having tears well up or water from the river fall into them. Either was it hurt me to see her cry like that and not be able to do anything. I was still learning to fly and there was no way I could even lift myself a foot from the ground without toppling back to the rocky covering. All I could do is watch in horror. It made me feel some comfort later to know it was the last terrifying moment I would ever have to witness.
Seiji had released Taro’s wing, stumbling from the recoil and falling only a few meters from Taro’s position into the river. He started to splash his head into and out of the water against his will, attempting to gasp for air. Mother saw his gasp and started to try and grab him out of the flowing river. For a split moment she had forgotten Taro who was inching closer and closer towards falling from the lofty waterfall. Amazingly she caught Seiji and quickly flew to my side to drop him off. Before I could ask her if he was alright childishly she started elevate into the air again, going after Taro. I looked cautiously in fear at Seiji who remained motionless on the edge. In that time I didn’t know what death was at all but I had learned. It was when a person closed their eyes and stopped breathing and exhaling. You would try and make them wake up but no matter how much tried it wouldn’t work. They would just lay there and become colder and stiffer. That was death.
I turned my head hastily to mother who was fighting to get Taro out of the rolling blue rapids, looking desperately at Taro who continued to lifelessly fight the rocks and the impounding water from stealing his life. Mother had finally grasped onto his tails by biting the thin ropey skin with her sharp teeth. She attempted to pull him out of the rapid and I just cried by a stiff Seiji. I felt like I wanted to vomit my life right from the vowels of my stomach. Is this why my father called me worthless? It was, wasn’t it? He was right; I was and still am nothing but a wasted leave. My eyes kept centered at my mother and her desperate attempt at heaving my younger brother out of the running river. Tragedy was endless in this short hour, as I realized at this moment. Mother’s attempts had continued to make her loose altitude in the air and in the end she plummeted into the same rapids as Taro had. My mind blanked at that moment. Nothing felt like it was real. It had to be a never ending nightmare, right? No, life was a nightmare already.
My mind returned to normal a few minutes later. There were no more screams coming from the riverbank. Taro and mother had vanished from the spot. Where could they have gone? They couldn’t have just disappeared, right?
Splash.
Those acute ears of mine are never wrong. There was a splashing sound, echoing quietly in the wind. Taro and mother had fallen down the waterfall. My eyes welled up instinctively and I wanted to join them in the water. They called to me, their voices pleading with joy but with horrible ease. I shook my head from my imagination and stepped away from the bank.
“What’s going on here, Saburo?” A dark chilling voice snarled into my ears. How could I forget Norio? Oh that’s right, he wasn’t even there. Not when Taro was holding on to life while mother failed a rescue, not when I called for help and certainly not around when Seiji was begging for air from the raging rapids. He didn’t and never existed.
I was about to sputter out incomprehensible words when he gasped in shock. By my side was still Seiji, dead as a rock. Norio slowly paced to Seiji, pushing him twice, no response coming from my brother. He was still sleeping and so was I. A click rang through my ears as Norio clenched his teeth together. The devil turned to me and stared at me in anger. I could only whimper in petrified fear. Before I could explain he grabbed on to my left ear with his razor sharp teeth and I just cried out. Why was he doing this? Did he believe I killed Seiji?
“Where is your mother and my sons?” His sons, he says. So I really don’t matter to him. To believe I’m related to such a thing. I didn’t respond and only tilted my head down. From my peripheral vision I saw his eyes become furious with murder intent. My mind blanked again when he bit my tail and started to pull me away from my family’s grave. How could I have such a wretched father?
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Inhale…exhale. Inhale…exhale. So I’m still alive? My eyes blinked, looking at my new settings. He had taken me to a beach to watch the setting horizon. The sight was beyond any beauty I have ever seen in my life. Amaterasu’s rays were exhilarating yet blinding. My eyes felt the urge to blink but for some reason they refused. Thoughts began to rumble through my mind until a heard a sadistic chuckle. The voice was recognizable from the beginning of my life.
“How does it feel, Saburo?” It chuckled ruthlessly, holding my skull up to her glorious rays. Why would I say glorious at a time like this? It was the last beauty I ever took into comprehension. That’s why I could only say it was glorious. “You turned away from your mother and your brothers’ death, but I’ll make sure you won’t have anything to turn to again.”
I cringed at the delicately evil voice. With no doubt in my mind it was Norio’s poison malice voice. It made me absolutely sick. “Norio...please stop,” I rattle out of my sobbing throat. My head was having a migraine and I was starting to feel dizzy.
“You stole my family,” Norio snarled silently, squeezing my skull even tighter than before. “I’ll steal away your family.”
My eyes begged to blink, to shed from Amaterasu, but it was no use. I felt myself becoming more light headed by the second. Within another couple minutes of eternity I passed out, looking one last time at horizon before blurring out.
Then the void came.
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Now hear I am today, old and out of reach to the world. Yes your assumptions are correct, for I am indeed blind. My father stole my sight and I never saw him again. The last time I ‘heard’ him was in death. It was a happy time back then. Love was never away from me though. I had a beautiful wife once, a mint green beauty (as she told me) by the name of Michi. She died in childbirth, after giving birth to our son; Yasushi. I did not know how he looked like and raising him without a mother was quite difficult for him, but we were happy together. For the time we shared I felt at peace to know that he was treated better than I was treated by my self-righteous father.
He even gave birth to my two grandchildren with his wife, Umeko. The first one was born a month or so before the second and was a female. She was named Katsumi. Umeko always told me that she resembled her grandmother very much, making my heart flutter happily. To know that a child blessed with the same unseen beauty that my wife had was a never ending dream. Umeko still had another child coming though and could not keep Katsumi around her, in fear that she would witness the childbirth and start to ask delusional questions. Only two weeks after her birth Umeko and Yasushi fled deeper into uncharted forests, so that they could give birth to her younger brother. I hid along the forests and meadow’s mountains, looking out for Katsumi whenever I could. Now mind you I couldn’t exactly ‘watch’ her but I did follow her after becoming familiar to her scent. It lasted for a week and a half, as during my watch Katsumi had developed a better sense of sight and gained the ability to talk in human.
Half of the week passed slowly and Umeko gave birth to her second child, Kazuki. Yasushi laughed after he was born, saying that he had stripes like his ol’ granddad. It made me chuckle heartedly but inside it made me feel hollow. I quickly asked to confirm my worries; if Kazuki was blind? Umeko only stuttered in confusion but Yasushi comforted me quickly telling me a simple no. A sigh of relief passed through me. It was happy times, but before Kazuki could even open his eyes Umeko had died only a day after his birth. Yasushi was horrid after it was confirmed. His breath had become more rapid and sporadic; his heart fell heavy with both grief and depression. One day he just disappeared from the shack on the beach, where we lived with Katsumi and Kazuki. I had only found him a week later, dead in the meadows. Only thing I can find to blame was my damn heritage. It only continued to take but never give.
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Part II:
“Damn this cold,” a voice grumbled into my ears. Over the years I continued to train them more and more. Now I could even hear a rock falling into the same river that my mother and brothers shared death at, even when it was miles from my location.
I quickly ran to the location of the sound and hid myself among the lumps of slushy frozen water. It wasn’t easy since it was freezing and my nose was starting to become clogged, but my ears were perked. The voice was known well to my ears. It was my grandson, Kazuki. Where are we now? Jump started at least six to seven months, in the winter of mid-February I believe. How do I know how the months change? For every month a new smell blows into the island, and my mother taught me them all in her short time. February smelled like lilacs.
“Stupid Katsumi, having to wander off again,” Kazuki grumbled again, breaking me from the calming the scent. I sighed a bit, feeling guilty. Kazuki had gained a fear of loneliness just as I had and I felt it was my fault. Everything was my fault. “I hate her so much.”
That desperate declaration of hatred rang through my ears hatefully. No one should ever say that about their precious family. Not even out of anger. “No you don’t,” I said out of reflex to his words, coming out of hiding.
Kazuki’s breathing shifted and his heart beat rang quickly through me. That’s right. He never saw me before, did he? “Wh-who are you?” He quickly asked, pulse ringing through my ears faster now.
“Let’s just say I know you and your sister well,” I started, not wanting to give away who I was. Why not? It would give away my thought of dead. Katsumi probably thought I was dead and didn’t mention me to him, but he might as well be better of thinking I never even existed. At least then mother and my brothers would still be alive. “She doesn’t hate you, and I’m sure you don’t hate her. So don't say such stupid things!”
“How would you know?” He paused before he answered this time. His breath was still cautious but much calmer now.
“I would know because,” I paused, trying to push the words from my throat. “If I had a sister then I would never hate her. I could never hate her, even if she hated me, because I love her.”
Kazuki’s heart then started to become normal. Did I say something that made him suspicious? Or did he figure out I was blind? He was about to speak again but I quickly jumped back into the deep forests, leaving him to think. No chasing after me at all.
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Later that night I went to the shack on the beach, where Kazuki and Katsumi now reside. The beach was never the happiest place for me to be, as it was the last place I could ever truly picture in my mind. It hurt sometimes. I had heard footsteps in the sand and grumbling all too well. Kazuki took my words into heart and went back home. A door creaked and someone rushed out. It was to my best assumption Katsumi.
My heart shined but my smile broke. I had known all would be alright in my small family. Yet I would give all the years left of my life just so I could see my two grandchildren hugging each other with warm smiles on their faces. The smiles I knew that would stay with them forever.
Fuyu no tsuki’s kira-kira inori.
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Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:10 pm
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Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 5:19 pm
First off I would like to thank everyone who entered! I really loved reading all the entries, I think were all very good. In fact, it was so hard to me to decide that there will be 2 winners!! 1st prize - The blind Shikokuyen Winner: dinyana Your entry was very long and hurt my eyes toward the end(though I think reading all the other entries before you was part of that as well xD), but it was very well written! I was impressed as to how you were able to roleplay in first person tense. Your creativity blew me away as I never thought of such a story behind such a simple Shikoku! The feelings and descriptions made me want to huggle him for ever! Congradulation!  2nd prize - The brother? Winner: Xennik Droid Your entry made me laugh out loud! I giggled every other sentences because of how Kimi was reacting. I could totally picture every single scene and every single of her facial expressions as well. I thought such a cute entry deversed to receive a prize as well, essentially to give Kimi a mature companion. Congrats to you as well! 
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