Possession 1: Saishi Tenshi

A warm breeze blew across a meadow that rested at the top of a hill outside of Kakidashi city. A stranger climbed up the side of the hill, clad in deep violet traveling cloak. It shrouded the figure in shadows as emerald green eyes gazed down into the rows of suburbs below. Somewhere within this city lay the creature I seek, the stranger thought. Somewhere in this city lies the Demon. I will find you, wretched beast… I will find you and make you pay for what you have done.

A cold gleam entered those peaceful eyes. The figure began a slow decent into the city.

                BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNG!

                A hand shot out from beneath the twisted covers of the bed and knocked the blaring alarm clock off of the nightstand. A groan escaped the folds as Saishi Tenshi, 16-year-old, poked his half-asleep head out of his covers to blink uncomprehendingly at the room around him. He groped for the still ringing alarm clock, finally managing to shut it off after fumbling with it for some time. With another groan, he began to pull himself up from his bed.

                Tenshi grabbed a school uniform from his closet on his way out of his room. Once in the bathroom he stared at his reflection in the mirror above the sink. I’m so dull, he thought. I don’t even look like anything special. Brown hair, brown eyes… why do I have to be so ordinary? A familiar wave of depression swept over him. Nothing ever happens to me and nothing ever will…With a sigh, he slumped over to the shower and turned the water on.

                A half hour passed before Tenshi descended the stairs to the kitchen, cleansed and dressed but still in no better mood. He made his way towards the kitchen, stopping only to look at a picture of a beautiful woman that stood on a shelf near the foot of the stairs. Good morning, mother, he thought silently as he ran a hand along the frame. A smile flickered on his face before her moved into the kitchen. As he went to gather his breakfast, he noticed a note on the fridge

 Tenshi,

Working late tonight

Have a great day at school!

~Dad

                A sigh escaped the teenager’s lips. Just like every other night, huh dad? His spirits sunk even more. Crumpling the note, he tossed it in the trash then opened the fridge to grab some milk. Just like every morning for the past seven years, Tenshi found himself alone and eating cold cereal for breakfast. He sighed again.

                When he was done, he set his bowl and spoon in the sink, took a swig of milk from the jug and then glanced at the clock. It had just hit seven. Right on time, he thought. Another day, another series of bullies to look forward to… Tenshi moved over to the door, slipped on his shoes and left in low spirits.

                The warm Fall day outside revitalized the boy. The sun was up over the city of Kakidashi, a sphere of warmth in a cloudless blue sky. Here in the suburbs, the tree leaves were ablaze in reds and golds. Tenshi couldn’t help but smile at the serenity nature seemed to offer. Some of the neighbors were even out doing their chores, despite the early hour. Tenshi waved and said good morning to all of them as he passed. Through the combined beauty of nature and the cheerfulness of the residents of his street, Tenshi actually felt slightly better about the day ahead.

                After walking for about two blocks, Tenshi reached the opening of the fence-lined alley that would lead all the way to Kakidashi High. Leaning against the fence just inside the alley was Kitsunaki Kai, Tenshi’s best friend from as far back as he could remember. Sleepy blue eyes watched the boy approach from beneath bangs of blonde hair.

                Kai glanced at his watch. “You’re early for once. What’s the occasion?”

                “Alarm,” Tenshi yawned. “Besides, can’t be late for the first day of school. I have so many beatings to look forward to, after all.” Tenshi put on a mock smile as the two boys began to move down the alley.

                “Already looking forward to making new friends?” Kai asked with a smirk.

                “I don’t make friends, I make enemies,” Tenshi grumbled. “I don’t even know their names half the time. They usually just beat me up and move on.”

                “How impolite. Maybe this year they’ll have better manners and introduce themselves first.”

                “The chances of that are about as high as me going through a day without being beat up.”

                Kai chuckled. “You need to be more positive, Tenshi. Bad things happen to those who think they’ll happen.”

                “I suppose I should be like you and go through life half-asleep?”

                “Naturally. You get plenty of rest and don’t have any worries.”

                Tenshi sighed.

                It wasn’t that long of a walk to school using the alley shortcut. The high school soon loomed above them with students still milling around the gates and the grounds to kill time before classes started.  The building itself was fairly new and had a feeling of cleanliness about it. Tenshi swept his gaze around the student body, taking note of the girls hugging each other after a summer away from home and the boys who eyed him like a fresh piece of meat. Tenshi groaned and lowered his head.

                This is gonna be a long day…

                At lunchtime, Tenshi moved into the back of the line, tenderly rubbing his ribs. As he predicted, he was ambushed just outside the cafeteria and had most of his lunch money stolen. He was also carried out in back and dumped into a dumpster. Luckily, they had not found the few yen he kept in a secret pocket in his backpack. It wasn’t much, but it would buy at least a bottle of water and a meat pie. He had climbed out of the garbage and trudged back to the cafeteria. It was another ten minutes before he could get his food.

                After buying his lunch, Tenshi threaded through the crowd of students over to a back table where Kai was sitting. Kai always packed his lunch and would often observe and criticize the students that wasted their money on the cafeteria food.

                “Just look at them,” the blonde boy muttered as his friend sat down across from him. “They look like a herd of cows being led to the slaughter… and with the kind of food the school serves, I don’t think I’m exaggerating.”

                Tenshi looked at his meat pie, suddenly losing his appetite. With a sigh, he slumped over the table and buried his face in his folded arms. “Only three more classes… then I can go home…”

                Kai glanced at Tenshi, an amused look on his face. “So eager to leave already? But the day’s just getting started! Look at all the fun and learning you have ahead of you.”

                “Fun, learning, split lip, black eye, bruised ribs… yeah, I have a lot to look forward to.”

                Kai was about to respond when a commotion in the corner diverted his attention. Tenshi looked up as well. Another student, small with red hair and glasses, was being tormented by a large group of seniors. Apparently he had sat in the wrong spot and the older boys were making him pay for it. Poor kid, Tenshi thought. What do bullies see in guys like us? We’ve never done anything to them….

                “Ryu Akuma.”

                Tenshi blinked and looked back at Kai. He was surprised to see a dark expression on his friend’s face. Kai was always laid-back. It was a shock to see him actually angry. “Ryu Akuma? Who’s he?”

                The blonde boy raised a finger, pointing to a boy on the edge of the group of seniors. He wasn’t much bigger than Tenshi with long black hair pulled into a ponytail and dark eyes behind a pair of glasses. Tenshi couldn’t quite place it, but there was something odd about the boy.

                “He’s nothing but trouble,” Kai said. “Bad kids are flock to him like flies to garbage. He’s the worst of the worst.”

                “Why don’t they just take him out of school?”

                “They can’t. They don’t have anything on him. His gang does all the dirty work. Akuma never gets involved, but everyone knows he’s behind it all.”

                Tenshi watched the boy with the pale skin and foreboding presence. He still couldn’t place that strange feeling. There was a shadow around him, something different than the boys around him. Actually, now that he looked closer, several of the boys had that same shadow. Tenshi squinted, trying to get a better view of the subtle darkness.

                Akuma turned his head and stared into Tenshi’s eyes. They locked gazes for just a moment, but it was enough to send a shiver down Tenshi’s spine. With a shudder, he quickly looked away and began to pick at his meat pie.

                Ryu Akuma, huh… There’s something just not right about you…

                Tenshi had gotten beat up twice more after school. It didn’t come as any particular surprise. Before he had even left the school grounds a group of four guys tossed him around and chucked him into the same dumpster he had been tossed in that afternoon. After he had climbed out and walked to the alley, another group led by a kid named Izumi knocked roughed him up further and stuffed him in a garbage can. It was getting to the point where the smell of rotten food and scraps of God knows what no longer bothered him.

                After those little run-ins, Tenshi decided to take the long way home and circled around to Main Street. This road extended all the way into downtown Kakidashi and was lined by most of the stores in the suburbs. It also curved away from the school, which meant that the closest side-street that led to Tenshi’s house was almost double the distance away.

                Tenshi slumped down the street, one finger gingerly running along the rim of the bruise around his eye. What a great day, he thought. My ribs hurt, my back hurts, I have a black eye and a split lip… “How can this day get any worse?” Tenshi muttered.

                A roar echoed down the back alley of a convenience store just as Tenshi was passing. He froze and glanced into its deep shadows. The sun was still up, but the angle wouldn’t allow much light into the narrow area. Tenshi was about to continue walking when there was another roar, this time accompanied by a girl’s scream.

                His first instinct was to run away, but Tenshi felt something pulling him into the alleyway. He began to move cautiously inside, curiosity overtaking fear for the moment. As he neared the bend at the back of the alley, he began to hear grunts and growls, accompanied by shouts and screams. Slowly, Tenshi pressed his back against the wall and peered around the corner.

                Tenshi’s eyes widened. I shouldn’t have said anything… I should have just kept my mouth shut…

                The first thing he saw was a giant dog that filled up the entire alleyway. It was monstrous, with dull yellow eyes and thick, pitch-black fur. Its paws were easily as big as Tenshi’s head with crimson-stained claws as long as knives. Its teeth, long and pointed, glistened with blood. It hovered over a slender, fallen figure.

                Lying limp against the alley wall was a girl around Tenshi’s age. She seemed to be dressed in the robes of a priestess, although her clothing was torn to shreds. Bloody scratches covered the areas where her flesh could be seen and there was a large ugly wound in her side. A trickle of blood ran down from Tenshi’s nose as he swept his eyes over one of the girl’s exposed breasts.

                She couldn’t move her body, but her gaze settled on Tenshi. Tenshi stared back. For a moment, he felt drawn to her, connected. Then in the next a deep anger awoke deep within him. The girl was so helpless, so wounded. This beast had done it to her, he was sure of it. He had to help her!

                Tenshi surged around the corner, kneeling quickly to retrieve a discarded wooden bokuto. He thrashed it against a nearby garbage can. “Hey! Hey, you big ugly beast! Look over here! Here!”

                The monstrous creature snapped its head around, a deep, guttural growl rumbling from its throat. It turned to face Tenshi and reared up to its full height - nearly twice as tall as Tenshi.

                Maybe this was a bad idea, Tenshi thought as he swallowed hard. He held up the shaking bokuto, attempting to steady it with both his hands. He had no such luck.

                Without warning, the giant dog lurched forward at Tenshi, snarling and snapping. Tenshi yelped and took a step back, slipping and falling to the grimy floor. The monster reared and swiped one massive paw at his helpless form.

“AHH! Nice doggy!” On impulse, Tenshi slashed with the wooden sword to try and save himself. The wooden blade slid cleanly through the dog’s paw, slicing it in half. The front end, claws and all, hit the ground just past the panicked boy’s head. The monster reared back and howled, pulling its stump back.

                Even though he was scared, Tenshi saw his opening. He slashed at the monster’s chest with blind slashes, too afraid to try to aim. The dog stumbled backwards, a line crossing its chest where the wooden blade had cut. Tenshi never noticed that the dog didn’t bleed. His eyes were closed. He kept swinging his blade widely, trying to keep the dog back.

                The hound growled and sank back. Tenshi opened his eyes and watched as it began to slink backwards along the shadows. Finally, it spun around and bounded into a wall. No… through the wall!

                Tenshi stared in astonishment. He would have kept staring but a groan at his side caught his attention. Turning, he quickly moved to the side of the fallen girl and knelt. With a face tinged with red, he moved a shred of her outfit over her exposed chest.

                “H-hey… Miss, are you alright? You…you looked pretty banged up…”

                A flicker of indecision crossed her face followed by a small smile. She began to mutter in a dialect Tenshi had never heard of before. Blood ran from her mouth when she spoke.

                “Try not to talk! I’ll… I’ll go try to get some help, okay? Yeah… that was a huge dog… Help! Right!” Tenshi turned to get up but a weak hand held on to his shirt. He turned back to the girl, face pale with fear and concern.

                She slowly pulled him closer as she continued to mutter the odd words. She gasped, closing her eyes. Tenshi was no doctor, but he knew she was dieing. She might only have a few minutes left. He had to get help!

                He tried to pull away again, but she pulled him closer. Now he knelt in front of her, face just inches away from hers. She opened her dazzling green eyes and locked his gaze, murmuring once more. Her head drooped and she rested her forehead against Tenshi’s.

                Her muttering slowed. “…Wa…watashi o yurushite….”

                Tenshi went to speak but was cut off as she tilted her head, leaned forward, and gently pressed her lips against his. His body locked up and a startled blush spread across his face. A shock went through him. He felt… warm. But there was something else. It almost felt like… like he was drinking something.

                Wha… what’s going on? Tenshi tried to pull back, but found it hard. He withdrew his lips from the girls and saw a stream of faint blue light leaving her mouth and sliding into his. More alarmed than ever, he pulled back with all his strength. The light faded and he fell backwards, scrambling against the opposite wall. The girl’s eyes were dull now and without signs of life. She slumped over, staring blankly at Tenshi.

                Oh my God… she… she’s dead! I…I need help! I gotta find someone! He scrambled to his feet, staring in horror at the girl’s body. A million thoughts raced through his head but they all suddenly halted.

                The girl’s body began to turn to dust. Tenshi watched, horrified, as it crumbled and faded, blown away by the breeze. In moments the entire body was gone. Not a trace was left. He slowly turned his head to look around and realized all signs of the fight with the monster dog were gone. No blood, no clothe… even the paw he had severed was gone.

                Tenshi edged to the end of the alley. Once around the corner, he turned tail and ran. He didn’t stop running until he got home. No… no way… There’s no way that could have happened! It can’t be real! Tenshi swiped the keys from his pocket and unlocked his door even as he flew forward. Spinning on his heal, he pushed the door close. With a trembling sigh, he lowered his head. It was a hallucination… nothing more… Izumi just knocked something loose when he stuffed me in the trash can… That’s all… Yeah…

                Finally catching his breath, Tenshi dragged himself up the stairs and into the bathroom. He shrugged off his shirt and gingerly touched his stomach with a slight gasp. Three times in a row… that’s a new record…Turning on the hot water, he finished stripping off his clothes and stepped into the shower.

                What’s wrong with me…? Why do I attract so many bullies? Is there something about me that just begs to be beaten up? I’m so pathetic… I wish Mom was still around… She’d be able to help…

                With a sigh, Tenshi turned off the water and grabbed a towel. He dried himself as he stepped out into the steam-filled bathroom. As he headed to the door, wrapping his towel around his waist, he happened to glance into the mirror.

                “YAHHHH!” Tenshi did a double-take as he stumbled against the wall. Strange… for a moment he could have sworn that the girl’s face was staring back at him. He took a moment to catch his breath and convince himself that what he saw was nothing but a hallucination. Get a grip, Saishi… You’re seeing things. I must have a concussion, or something…

                Tenshi slid out of the bathroom and made for his own room. He would leave his clothes for his dad to pick up. It was still too early to sleep, but Tenshi didn’t care. He changed into his nightclothes and climbed into bed. What a day, he thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep. What a day…