RTD- Prologue

After the tragic death of his cousin, Riku goes to Aokigahara to open the portal to Yomi in order to bring her back.

Aokigahara, the suicide forest of Japan; a place of mystery and filled with spirits. People come here all the time when they believe that it is their time to die; it is believed that a spirit will take them away when they lay their heads down for a permanent sleep.

            But that’s not why I was here; I was here to bring someone back from Yomi, shadow land of the dead. She’d been dead for a year and the whole family still felt the pain as if her death had happened only yesterday.

            A year I spent searching and learning for this occasion, I was tired of seeing my family suffer and tired of missing her; after today there would be no more because by the end of today she will be alive.

            Many believe that people disappear when they come to Aokigahara because there is a portal here, a portal to Yomi and I was going to find it.

            It was getting dark when I first walked into Aokigahara; the sun was just starting to set but the trees made it darker and I could barely see but that didn’t stop me. I finally stopped and turned to walk off the path to find a secluded area.

            Then I found the clearing, trees surrounded the circular spot of tall grass and I knew that this would be the perfect place to summon a portal to Yomi. It was the spot that I’d read about in a book written by a researcher who had disappeared like all the others when he came to Aokigahara. I pulled out that same book and opened it to a marked page. I walked around the circle to look at every tree, just phantom scars of the symbols that were drawn so long ago. I took out a small knife and began carving each symbol, using the book as a reference.

            I had to take out the hoe to cut the grass into another symbol as depicted in the book. It was late by the time I finished and it was almost time to summon. I took out my pocket watch to look at the time and could just barely make out the figures of the hands showing it was almost three in the morning. I pulled out the knife again and looked at my left hand. “A drop of blood to open the door” the book said so I made a small cut on my palm and let it drop to the center of the symbol in the ground and stepped back.

            The light started as a little ball of energy where I had let my blood fall and then with a blast it erupted into a swirling vortex. I was pushed back by the sudden rush of energy but quickly regained my ground and ran towards the portal.

            I stepped half-way through and looked out at the clearing through the portal; it would close as soon as I pulled my other foot through. I remembered the vine that hung down from the tree just outside and grabbed it. I tied the end to my waist to keep the portal open since there was matter from the world of the living into the dead.

            Yomi was all black except for the concrete path that I stood upon. I surveyed the surroundings before taking a few steps until the vine stretched tight. I guess I hadn’t thought ahead that much. I turned to look back at the portal, it couldn’t be closed or I would be stuck here in Yomi forever.

            “If I could just tie this to something…” I said to myself and turned to look behind me, though, I already knew there was nothing behind me but when I turned back to Yomi a tall metal pole that wasn’t there before appeared. It was close enough so I could tie the vine to it and I wouldn’t have to worry about the portal closing.

            I continued walking, always turning to make sure the portal was still there and the vine still tied. I continued walking in silence because that’s what Yomi was, silent; I didn’t see anything except the darkness and the path ahead.

            “Ayame? Where are you?” I called out into the darkness. I heard something rustle beside me and turned to look only to see more darkness. When I turned back ahead of me I saw a crumpled figure of a girl. I ran to her when I realized that it was my cousin, the one I’d come for.

            “Ayame? Ayame say something,” I shook her lightly. She moved slightly and looked up at me; it took her a moment to recognize who I was.

            “Riku? Riku you shouldn’t be here. You have to leave, now, it’s forbidden!” She sat up and looked into the darkness at something she could see but I couldn’t. “Leave!”

            “I came to get you back Ayame, I’ll do whatever it takes!” I turned as I heard the rustling again; I reached for the hoe that I had put in my belt. “Quick, let’s go while the portal is still open.”

            “I can’t Riku, Shinigami will know and he’ll punish you and me,” Ayame said, but I didn’t care, I promised to get her back.

I picked her up and started to head back towards the portal, moving faster every time I heard the shuffling behind me. I was almost to the portal, I could see our world on the other side, feel a breeze of fresh air but right when I was about to grab the vine and jump through something grabbed my ankle and pulled me down.

            When I turned back, I saw a kitsune holding onto my leg with a malevolent grin. She was laughing and when I tried to kick her off she laughed harder. She jumped past me and looked down at Ayame then next thing I knew she was taking over Ayame’s mind, body, and soul. I shouted at her but it did no good, soon she had become my little cousin.

            She stood up and looked at her new hands, still smiling. If Ayame was still in her body, I couldn’t tell; her eyes had changed to the eyes of a kitsune and her teeth were now razor sharp. I was finally able to get back up and took out the knife, ready to fight the kitsune out of Ayame’s body.

            “Boy can’t stop Ji! Ji too quick!” The kitsune said but I swiped at her anyway; the blade just missed her by half an inch and the kitsune laughed at my attempt.

            “Give her back!” I said through clenched teeth.

            “Ji like this body, Ji want to keep it! Now Ji can go into the other world and Shinigami can’t stop him or the others!”

The kitsune watched with triumph while I watched in horror as demons started to pour into the portal; leaving Yomi and entering the human world. When the kitsune started to head towards the portal I finally snapped out of my trance and cut the vine so the portal would close. Sacrificing myself to stop the kitsune and save Ayame.

            Soon everything was shrouded in darkness, the concrete walkway had disappeared and I felt like I was floating. Breathing became harder and I was starting to feel a little light headed. Everything around me was silent for a moment but I wasn’t alone. The hands of demons grabbed me and started to tear at my clothes, arms, and legs. Soon they held me so tight that I couldn’t move; they were all looking into the darkness at something or someone.

            Then, out of the darkness, a tall figure walked out and stood in front of me; it looked like the typical Grim Reaper with the dark cloak. When the darkness faded away, the Reaper was dressed in a night gown featuring teddy bears with a demonic twist to them. He took off his night cap and looked at me condescendingly. He nodded to the demons that held me and they immediately let go and bowed to him.

            “I am Shinigami, the God of Death.”

“You’re the God of Death? You don’t look very scary…” I said and the God glared at me.

“What are you talking about? I’m the scariest God there is!” Shinigami said but then took a deep breath to calm himself.

He cleared his throat and continued on in the mysterious voice he started speaking in.  

“Nakamura Riku, you have trespassed in Yomi to retrieve one that has already passed; you let demons that were banished escape back into the human world where they will once again wreak havoc and I’ll have to round them up. Again.” Shinigami said and sighed with annoyance.

“I’m a lazy God, Riku, I don’t want to chase them down again but I’m going to have too. You had such a good life ahead of you, too. It’s a shame you let it go to waste like that.”

            “Did the kitsune make it out?” I asked as the God started to walk away. He stopped and looked back at me.

            “Who, Ji?” The Death God asked and then nodded. “Yes, she’s gone; jumped out right before the portal closed, she’s a fast little bugger. That’s how they’re all able to stay out of the portal, Ji took control of a human body and therefore she broke the spell that banished her. And it’s all thanks to you!” Shinigami said sarcastically.

            “And Ayame?” I asked with desperation.

            “Gone, Kininki Ji likes to eat human corpses; that’s what got her banished in the first place. She’d always eat the dead, soul and all, before I could get to them. I didn’t know she was able to eat just the soul and then possess the body, but apparently she can.” Shinigami said and then yawned. “Alright, I must be going; you know, escaped demons to catch and what not. It’ll take years just to locate where they are and then I have to capture them.”

            Shinigami sighed depressively and looked back at me. “I was taking a nap too, it’s always my nap time when something like this happens.” Shinigami started to yawn again but stopped in mid-yawn; seeing something on my neck. The God of Death walked up and turned my head slightly. “Ah so little miss Ji left her mark on you, did she? I’m in luck!” The God started to laugh maniacally.

            “You can bring all those demons back!” Shinigami said.

            “Me?” I asked and the God nodded gleefully.

            “With that mark you now possess some demon powers; I don’t know why Ji would give them up if it was intentional but you can now see spirits and demons and you’ll be able to bring back all the demons you let loose!”

            “Are you really that lazy and insane?” I asked and the God stopped his malevolent hand rubbing to look at me with annoyance.

            “I spend a lot of time with dead people, kid.” Shinigami said as if that was a perfectly good excuse.

            “And what if I say ‘no’?” I asked and the God laughed again.

            “You can’t!” Shinigami said. “I’m the God of Death and since you came in here you willingly gave up your life. That means you have to do everything I say!”

            “Yeah right, I don’t have to do anything if I don’t want to!” I said and turned my back on him.  Shinigami took my shoulder and turned me to face him again and his face showed how unimpressed he was.

            “What part of ‘you’re dead and I’m a Death God’ and ‘you have to’ don’t you understand?” Shinigami said; he waited for me to respond but I didn’t say anything and he finally decided that he wasn’t going to win this argument. “What if I make a deal with you?”

            “What kind of deal?” I asked and Shinigami smiled again.

            “I will give you your life back if you go out there and bring back all that have escaped!” Shinigami said.

            “What about Ayame and the kitsune?”

            “Well you’ll have to bring Ji back anyway as for your cousin; I don’t think there is much I can do about that.” Shinigami shrugged dismissively.

            “You’ll bring her back to life and she’ll come home with me,” I said and the Death God tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Take it or leave it.”

            “You’re asking a lot of me; give you life and powers and then give her life? Inconceivable.” Shinigami said with folded arms.

            “Alright, then while you go and collect all the demons I’ll be over here sleeping.” I said and started walking away. I laid down on what had to pass as the ground in Yomi; Shinigami still stood where I’d left him, I felt his eyes burning into my back with a glare but pretended not to notice him.

            “Fine! If I can bring her back to life then I will.”

            “What do you mean if you can bring her back to life?” I asked with rage and hatred.

            “Jeez take some anger management classes, kid.” Shinigami said and then changed the subject before I could yell at him again. “Well, Ji likes you’re cousin’s body and it’ll be hard to get her out short of destroying Ayame’s soul; if it hasn’t already been destroyed.”

            “How do I get her out?” I asked and Shinigami looked up thoughtfully as if going through several files in his head.

            “I don’t know, you’ll have to figure that out on your own. I was just going to tell you to obliterate her but since you’re so persistent in keeping the body in tact you’ll have to find a different way. Humans, a bunch of pushy pansies if you ask me!” Shinigami said with exasperation and I sighed.

            “Alright, then, I’ll go and bring back your stupid demons.” I said and looked up at him. “How?”

            “Just a second,” Shinigami said. “Abunai, come here!” A small bundle of white fluff floated down and hovered next to the God of Death. A pair of purple eyes appeared out of the fluff and looked at Shinigami.

            “What is that?” I asked and poked the fluff. It made a noise that had to have been a giggle of some time.

            “Abunai, a Kesaran-pasaran.” Shinigami said and then looked at the creature. “Do you have my scythe?”

            The creature flipped and then the large scythe appeared in Shinigami’s hand; the Death God inspected the blade as if looking for any damage the fluff could’ve caused. “Alright, Riku, I’m going to give you two items that you can use to capture the demons and spirits that escaped and then you’ll be on your merry way!”

            A bright light appeared over my hand and when I looked down at it there was a flute and some kind of medallion in my hand. “A flute? What if I don’t know how to play the flute?”

            “Well, now you do.” Shinigami said and then hefted his scythe. He was about to swipe at me with his scythe but Abunai got in his face and rubbed up against him like a cat. “Abunai, how many times do I have to tell you? I’m the God of Death I do not snuggle; especially when I’m working!”

            Abunai looked up at him blankly and then sat on the Death God’s head and started to sleep happily. Shinigami picked up the Kesaran-pasaran and looked at it. “Here take this with you.”

            “Why?” I asked and picked up the creature and looked at it.

            “Because, it’s so annoying! Do you know how hard it is to nap with that thing hovering around you?” Shinigami said and then cleared his throat. “Okay, back to business. Locate the demons, capture them, go to Aokigahara and then put them back in Yomi. I’ll see you then.”

            The Death God blew on the blade of his scythe and polished the sharp edge before he took the top of the weapon and gave me a light push. Suddenly, Yomi and Shinigami disappeared as I fell back to Aokigahara.  

 

Author's Note

Okay, so it's a work in progress.... let me know what ya think!