literature

Mecchen House - Chapter 16-1

Deviation Actions

majorkerina's avatar
By
Published:
4.8K Views

Badge Awards

Literature Text

Chapter 16 – The Light and the Dark of Mecchen House

I just couldn’t articulate that name. I knew it with every fiber of my being, but I failed to find the words for it. It was something beyond the words I knew.

Still, I glared into the menacing dark and told it, “I know you.”

It laughed with deep, rumbling laughter.

“You think you are strong? You are weak. You think anything you do matters? None of it matters. It is pointless to try. What do you think you can achieve? Nothing. You are nothing. Give up. She is mine, and so are you.”

I clenched my fists until they burned. “Leave her alone. NOW!”

It slipped along behind Ami. “You are yelling in the dark. You have no power. You have no skill. You just watch and spin in circles. You are nothing. Let it all fade away. You will be happier.”

It was hard to breathe. Its presence felt like a cloak of dust sinking into me. I felt tired. I felt my head throb. It slipped closer.

I held out a hand. “You are not to touch her or anyone else. I will stop you.”

“Talk. All talk. You talk, and you muse, and you talk. You say this, and you say that. But in the end… You stand around doing and being nothing at all. Everything you’ve done here is pointless. You will never leave this place.”

I pounded my hands. “Shut up! You don’t know anything about me!”

It chuckled. “Ooooh. I know you much more than you know me. You second guess. You leave questions unanswered and answers unquestioned. You linger in doubt. You hesitate. You watch while everything falls apart around you. You are helpless.”

As it spoke, a dour, smothering feeling began to curl around me. I waved my arms to clear the air. “NO! I won’t let you get into my head or do anything to Ami! I won’t let you win!”

“I have already won. You are too weak and timid. You cannot help yourself. You cannot save anyone. You are only helpless to watch their suffering as you sink with them. You are pathetic. Nothing you do will ever matter. You are a passive, worthless little girl and nothing more.”

I lunged forward. “You’ll see how I am!”

The dark being put Ami between me and it. I could see the tracing of her hollow eyes.

Her head drooped. “Why do you hate me?”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Then leave me alone.”

“I can’t.”

“Then you hate me.”

“I want to help.”

“You aren’t helping me. I want this to help.”

“You don’t want this.”

“YES I DO! I don’t want to live like this!”

The dark being curled around her and said, “You are not helping her. I am. I am giving her exactly what she wants: True peace from her fear and pain. She does not want to suffer anymore.”

I felt raw. I trembled. Something was building inside me. “You’re a liar! She wants to live. I won’t let you do this!”

It cackled and receded. Ami receded too. Then it burst forth. Something like obsidian teeth in row after row exploded in slow, rising circles. I dipped around and through the dark. I searched for the far wall. I couldn’t find it. The darkness just seemed to spread endlessly in all directions.

It bolted at me again, a thousand, rippling claws lashing out in all directions. Its features seemed to swell and contort like a blackened kaleidoscope image. I moved quickly and, yet, it felt like I was moving around in a thick mud which clung to my legs. I bent out of the way as the teeth passed over.

The beast lashed out and I arched back.

“You evade everything. You run away.”

The creature chuckled and lingered in the deeper dark. It growled. My whole body felt tingly, like I’d just run a mile. I felt all over like I had the nascent wings of a bird, eager to fly. The palms of my hands felt warm.

I bent my head forward at the twistings of the dark.

“I will destroy you.”

“Too little. Too late.”

I darted towards it, faster than I thought I could move across the uneven terrain of shadows. I could see its features rise from the abyss. A roar thundered through the expanse. I stretched my palms out. They were hot.

The creature groaned and gave a throaty growl.

It darted away and cried, “This one is mine. I claimed it from her.. Remember that…”

Then it felt like the air flowed back in. I tumbled to the ground.

I looked blearily around. The light was back on. The features of the room had returned. Ami was standing to one side, staring down. She looked around and spotted me.

She jumped back.

“Wha? How did you get in here?”

“What do you remember?”

“Huh?”

“What happened since you last saw me?”

From the look in Ami’s eyes, I figured she thought I was crazy. But after what I experienced, I had to know what she remembered.

“Well. Katsumi was a jerk. I said a lot of stuff. I got really ticked. I’d had enough of her nonsense, so I went up here to get my stuff together and get to class early so I wouldn’t have to deal with her on the way to class or anything. I went into my room. I was just picking up my bag and then… you showed up here.”

I had a thought. “Do you remember what time it was when you got in here?”

“Yeah. I looked at the clock when I came up here.”

“Look at it again.”

She picked it up and stared at it.

“Did you… do something to it?”

“No. I didn’t. Ami… Something happened. There is something dangerous in this room. I’ve encountered it twice now. I was worried that telling you about it would upset you. But you need to know. It’s dark and frightening. Nina, Katsumi’s friend, told me about it. She said if your room is cleaned, then that will help to drive it away. That’s why you have to let me clean it. This thing wants to really hurt you. It wants to take the ‘humanity’ out of you. I won’t let it do that. But I need your help.”

It was a lot to absorb. She set the clock down.

“I’m supposed to believe all that? My room is home to an evil spirit? I haven’t seen anything.” She brushed her hair back and folded her arms over her pink pajama top.

I focused my eyes on her. “I’ve seen it. You’ve said so many dark things in its presence. It seems to leech every happy thought out of you. It wants to make you feel worthless, hopeless, and unable to do anything. Its name is on the cusp of my tongue. I can’t say it, but this is not the kind of spirit you want to have around.”

I knew it wasn’t much to go on, and I fully expected she would be upset at me. But so long as she was angry and still existed, that was acceptable to me.

She let her arms slip and walked around the hills of junk with a natural step.

“The way you put it, I can’t refute it if something is really messing with me. I must admit, secretly, I have some submissive fantasies about being trapped and unable to move, controlled utterly by someone else. It’s not sexual so much as it gives me a great feeling of peace and contentment. I just give myself over to another. I don’t feel pain, fear, confusion or worry about anything. All the expectations my brother and others have set for me evaporate, and I finally feel like I can be myself.”

“But you wouldn’t be human. You wouldn’t really exist. You wouldn’t feel joys as well as pains if that happened.”

She leaned against a wall. “Well. That’s what I feel. It’d be a release for me. I don’t know if beings out there can make that happen, but I probably wouldn’t fight them if they did.”

I felt like my chance for Ami was slipping through my fingers. “You have so many people who care for you, who want you to be okay. Just look what happened when you fainted. All the girls around here sprung into action to help. Even Katsumi.”

Ami covered her face with her hands. “I wish they didn’t. I feel so guilty. If they just forgot about me, then that would be better. I could slip away serenely and with no fuss.”

I promised her, “I will always remember you, no matter what.” I didn’t know if that would help, but it was true.

She sat down on her bed. “You really don’t have to…”

“I will.”

Ami curled her legs close, like the first time I encountered that dark spirit. I kept on guard. She laid her head on her legs. Her face seemed like a distorted sliver of flesh and eyes, with a pink curtain enveloping it from this angle.

“I’d miss Fuyuki. I admit that. My brother has done a lot for me. He’s given so much for my sake. It would be a waste… if I didn’t make more of this existence, for him. All the prayers I’ve given for his generosity would be tainted. He would be tainted because of me. So… I have to keep trying.”

She looked at me as though she planned out an elaborate equation in her mind and she wanted me to check her addition. I gave her a nod.

Ami stood and bent her mouth line up like a muscle spasm. “Thanks. I need to get dressed. I’m not sure what to think about everything you’ve said. You still have my permission to organize things, but only if isn’t an inconvenience.”

“It won’t be.”

She bowed to me. I returned the bow. “Alright then, I need to get dressed for class. See ya…”

We passed each other as I made my way to the door. I turned to watch her. She walked as though motion were a strange act for her. She settled and fluttered. And she looked at the clothes hanging in her closet with intense longing.

I stopped by Tara’s door next, remembering my promise, despite the fact I was anxious to share what had happened with Nathan and Jamie. I gave two knocks. Tara seemed to open the door before I’d finished the first. She tugged me in with her gentle but irresistible presence.

“Arisu-chan! Welcome!” She had her arms raised high over her head with the palms out and waved to me as though she wanted to get my attention from far away. I returned a little wave.

“Hi, Tara. You have some outfits for me?”

She grabbed my hand and guided me over to her closet. My hands were soon full of dresses. They felt heavy. She added even more with a smile.

I turned my head to the door leading out to the hall and Ami’s room. I sure hoped she was okay. I glanced at the floor.

I sighed and told Tara, “Actually, I’m so sorry, but my heart just isn’t in this right now. I know I promised, but stuff came up with Ami, and I’m still really concerned about my friends downstairs…”

Tara giggled. “Silly, Arisu-chan! I don’t mind. I just want you to be happy. Remember? We’ll have lots of fun later. And I’ll set aside my favorites, and you can try them on to see if they fit okay! I love you, Arisu-chan!” She wrapped her arms around me with the dresses pushing against me.

Her presence was so warm. A sweet smell like apricots and honey passed to me from her and clung there. She set the dresses in a lovely pile on her bed.

“I hope you enjoy them, Arisu-chan! I’m gonna change my clothes and get ready for class.”

She slipped her top off, revealing such a cute, little lime-green bra and a matching pair of panties a moment later. She stood there and smiled. I squeezed my eyes shut as she reached up for the strap on her bra.

She poked me on the shoulder. “Is something wrong, Arisu-chan?”

“I’m not comfortable with this yet…I still feel like it’s wrong.”

“What do you mean, Arisu-chan?”

I couldn’t see her, but I said, “I haven’t been a girl for very long. It still evokes a strange feeling for a girl to be so comfortable around me.”

“But we’re both girls, Arisu-chan. It’s okay! I can’t wait for when we can try on bras together!”

I could barely imagine it. I bit into my lower lip line. “I’m gonna need some time. Please, Tara. It’s all so much so fast. There’s just too much to absorb.”

Her hand rubbed my arm. “I understand, Arisu-chan. Also, if you prefer Keli-chan or Keli-kun, just tell me. As I said, I want you to be so very happy with lots and lots of smiles!”

“Actually, I don’t mind ‘Arisu’, I guess. There’s just a lot of new stuff that comes with this gender. I promise to try and adapt but I need to take careful steps.”

She hugged me again. “Okay, Arisu-chan! Will I see you downstairs before I go?”

“I will be downstairs. I hope to see you off.” I heard some fluttering and she added, “Don’t worry, Arisu! I’m decadent!”

I opened my eyes. Tara was clad in a comically-colorful bathrobe and a beaming smile. She gave another, exuberant wave which threatened to disrobe her.

“Don’t let the dark meanies bite!”

I paused and turned back. “What did you say?”

“I call them the Dark Meanies. They’re in league in the Death Urge in Yumeko! They have lots and lots of teeth. They can change shape. And they try to get you sad and depressed. They learn your weaknesses and try to chip at them. Yumeko almost got trapped by them but the power of love defeated them!”

I didn’t say anything but that sounded a lot like what I’d just encountered in Ami’s room. Although, the name lurking in my thoughts wasn’t Dark Meanies or Death Urge.

I put on a warm smile to reassure her, thanked her, and left.

I lingered near Ami’s door. I could hear her moving about inside. The world felt at peace. There were no signs of any darkness under the surface but, somehow, I still felt it lingering and waiting for the right moment to strike again.

-----

I found Jamie stretched lengthwise across the couch, arms resting behind his head.

“Are you…?”

He took a deep breath. “I still have it.”

“I see. Is Nathan around?”

“Still in the bathroom. Just like a regular girl.”

“Careful what you say…” I wasn’t sure if who or what was changing us had a sense of irony.

He snorted. “With how long it’s taken, I figure I scared it off. Or maybe it’ll just pass me over and leave me as a sissy boy.” He scratched himself in defiance.

“Well, there’s not just this to be concerned about. Remember that dark spirit I told you about in Ami’s room? It’s back.”

He kept scratching a part of himself I no longer possessed. He sniffed a breath in. Given his outward, feminine appearance and long, cascading hair, these gestures looked cuter than he intended. Especially the quick burp.

“That thing? Again? So what did it do?”

I began with Miki’s first warning and the presence of shadows across the ceiling.

He proclaimed, “I didn’t notice anything weird. I didn’t even see you go upstairs.”

I related the blackness of the room like slipping into another realm, the ill-defined boundaries, and the strange voice.

“Seen it. Smell of dust too? Shifting form, massive amounts of teeth. Tries to make you destroy yourself. It was in volume two of the show Tara played last night. Juri-chan rescued the mysterious pretty boy from one. The main character almost got trapped too. It’s your basic dark and scary monster. Like a ‘peer at your closet and hide under your covers’ sort of thing.”

“And you didn’t tell me…” I glared at him.

He shrugged. “You didn’t ask about it and, besides, it was just a movie. A lot of stuff happened earlier, and I didn’t really dwell on it.”

I massaged my forehead. “Okay. Let’s just say for a moment it’s coincidental. The fact remains that a terrible beast tried to attack me in Ami’s room. It said things. It tried to dehumanize Ami. It said something about a ‘mother’. It might be Ami’s mother. And most importantly, I knew it. I recognized it.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow. “I refer back to the aforementioned scary monster that hides in the closet.”

I clenched my fists. “I’ve had it up to here with your dismissals! It happened. Something tried to hurt me and hurt Ami. It said all sorts of things to try to break us down and destroy us. But I was able to scare it off. Something got really warm inside me, like a flame, and it didn’t want to stay around. I feel it will be back though.”

Jamie coughed. “Warm inside? Really? I don’t think Ami swings that way.”

My whole body clenched up. “Don’t be gross, and quit trying to dismiss everything I say. I’ve always listened to you. And you said you were my friend! Don’t you trust me?”

Jamie lifted his feet up a little and pulled his mouth taut. He then relaxed and sighed. “You helped me. I have no clue why, but you did. You’ve done that a lot. And I trust you. I just… can’t take all this strangeness. It doesn’t add up. Sure, I can shake a fist at the heavens but, in the end, what will it achieve? All I can do is talk. And I keep going in circles. I’m fine, then I say something lousy. We fight. I hate myself. We reconcile. Then, all too soon, I mess it all up again. It’s the way of me. It’s how my insides started to die, how everything froze solid, and my emotions dried up. It was better that way. I didn’t hurt. This does. But the cycle keeps on going…”

He sat up a little. “So yell at me some more. Throw me against some more furniture, so it can be like that brief moment amongst the trees, so that my fear and anxiety at you and Nathan going from outies to innies can be undone.”

His eyes seemed to beg. The heat receded from me. “All I wanted was your ear, for you to listen to me. Ami’s room could be directly related to what is happening to us.”

“How? Demonesses and monsters? Geek girls and crank callers? Dirty rooms and cryptic recipes? And then this Wolverine healing-factor stuff? It’s the evidence to a hundred mysteries, and I’m not up to solving even one. I’ll just camp out here and wait till the Forces That Be are done with me. Then I’ll go kick their ass.”

“It could be too late then.”

He sighed. “It could be too late even now.”

“So you’re just gonna resign yourself to that?”

“It’s not resignation. I just know that no matter how much of a fight I put up, the result will be the same. The only thing that really concerns me is that I didn’t go running for the hills the moment we arrived in this world. Of course, you know now how I feel about you. Though I wish I’d pressed harder for us to leave Mecchen. But then we didn’t have any more luck outside than in. I just can’t figure out what I can do. So I’ll just wait.”

His whole body looked slack. I clapped my hands. “Come on here! Listen to yourself. Where’s the tough and rough Jamie, the one that promised to give this place a huge case of indigestion?”

“He’s going to be a girl in a few minutes.” He shut his eyes.

I gestured to myself. “Look at me. I’m technically a girl, and I have not changed that much. I still have my same essence. In fact, fighting that dark beast, I felt even stronger than ever despite what it threw at me.” I had to hide some trembling in my legs.

He looked me over and sighed through his nose. “I’d rather just lie here and forget about all this…”

I sparked again. “Oh yeah? Then I guess you were always a girl. You never had any balls. You never stuck up for anything.”

He leaned up. “Takes one to know one, Ms. Observer. You just sit around and watch everyone else living their lives. You look about. You look and you look and you look. But what does it all really matter? You see life going on around you.”

We shot back and forth.

“You refuse to grab it,” I said.

“You ponder it over like a curious film.”

“You sit around and let things happen to you.”

“Life passes you by while you watch!”

“You avoid it!”

“You’ll never get it!”

We stared down one another with sharp intensity until Jamie cracked and started laughing. It was infectious. I didn’t know why we ended with laughter rather than physical conflict, but I was glad to see Jamie smiling, if only for a moment.

Nathan, wearing a skirt and a blue, buttoned blouse, and Ms. Ishida found us a few moments later. We dried our eyes. Jamie gave me a friendly sock in the shoulder. I appreciated it and returned the favor.

Sumi, dressed for class, was also watching our little scene. She leaned on her right leg, clutched her arm around her stomach, and smirked. “Are we all girls now?”

Jamie stuck out his wee, pink tongue and said, “I’m still all-man and as virile as ever.” Never mind he lay there with a flowing blanket of blond hair stretched down to his rear, with soft, feminine features, a slender form, and the voice of a young-girl.

“Pity. Well, I’m patient.” She looked pleased as she surveyed Nathan and I. Sumi lingered near to Nathan and curled a bit of the skirt-cloth in her fingertips.

She looked to Ms. Ishida, then Nathan. “I remember this one. I wore it once. It fits you very well.” Nathan blushed and looked away.

Sumi released the cloth, gave a flowing wave, and left us with the words, “To all the lovely new flowers, may you bloom to your fullest.”

Ms. Ishida put a hand on Nathan when Sumi was gone. Nathan smiled back. “Thank you ever so much, Ms. Ishida. I really like this outfit.” The outfit was nice. The skirt had a lovely seascape along the hem, and the blue blouse had silvery raindrops all in a row.

Jamie surveyed it and noted, “You sure caved quickly. You like skirts?”

Nathan turned to show her frozen eyes. She gave the appearance of someone caught doing something bad. She scuffed her feet a little and said, softly, “It… it… i-i-it feels nice. And the blouse went well with it. I’m sorry. I just figured it would be alright.”

I expected to have to renew aggressions for that, but Jamie’s next words surprised me. He said, “It actually looks pretty good on you. I wouldn’t wear it in a million years, but if you’re cool with it, who am I to say? It’s your call.”

Nathan held her hands clutched in front of her. With careful words, she said, “I appreciate that so much. I wouldn’t ask you to wear it. I don’t know why, but for some reason, it just feels right to wear this. Part of me feels bad though. Like I’m doing something taboo. Like I’m cross-dressing. But Ms. Ishida said it’s okay to wear it now. She told me about Kabuki theater too.”

They smiled at one another, and Nathan brushed her hands together.

The reference seemed to go over Jamie’s head, but he nodded and gave a little thumbs-up. He even sat up as well. “So there’s an evil monster in Ami’s room…”

I wanted to grab Jamie’s tongue, but I also felt guilty I’d kept my knowledge of the evil spirit from most of the girls. Katsumi knew of it from Nina, but I had no idea if she told anyone else of that knowledge. I suspected no.

Ms. Ishida looked more concerned than surprised by this announcement.

I explained my encounter as best I could. Nathan looked on with worried eyes. When I was done, Ms. Ishida nodded and said, “It’s as I suspected. That messy room is bad for her. But do you really think she’s doing it all intentionally?”

I truly worried about Ami’s state of mind. I told them, “I’d like to think Ami doesn’t want anything bad to happen to herself or anyone else. That presence had such power that it almost grabbed control of me. And Ami seems particularly susceptible.”

Ms. Ishida tilted her head, then smiled a guilty smile. “I almost wish I’d seen it. That thing sounds like a real beast.” I had a somewhat difference opinion of the being. But I bowed my head politely to her, after a moment of silence.

Jamie snorted as best he could with his voice, picked at his slivers of teeth, and remarked, “I’d rather live my whole life without ever seeing it for myself.” Unfortunately, it seemed like he’d never truly believe it existed until such a thing happened.

Nathan offered a gentle statement. “I’m just glad both you and Ami are okay, despite what happened.” She sniffled and swallowed a little, like when a humid day back home messed with his sinuses. “And I’m so very glad to have both of you as my friends. And to know everyone in this house. But I feel bad that none of my family are here.”

Nana, at that moment, emerged from down the hall and surveyed all four of us. She was dressed no differently than any of the others who’d left for class, except for a pure-white bow adorning her crown. I enjoyed the look.

She bowed humbly to all of us, then looked at me and said, “The past realizes the present.” With that, she left. Obvious, and it seemed like a typically-cryptic line from her. But I had to wonder, with recent events, if it meant something especially-significant.

Jamie muttered, “Yeah, yeah. She probably has history class or something. And as far as family, you need to learn to stand on your own when it comes to family. Don’t let them rule you.”

I wanted to tell Jamie about how much Nathan did to support his family, but I knew Nathan would be embarrassed if I made a big deal of it. She seemed stunned by Jamie’s words. “But family helps one another when you feel weak and lost. I wish I could still be there for them. What will happen to the gym without me? Are my father and brothers looking for me right now?”

Nathan fidgeted, frowned, and teased at the hem of her skirt with a few fingers. I could tell there was something else. Anime faces were bad at hiding emotions.

Of course, we’d both joined the female gender not too long ago. Nathan was sure to be feeling a tempest of emotions inside. As for myself, I thought I was doing pretty well. But it all felt like a state of limbo. I put feminine concerns on a mental back-burner with worries about the structure of the world, forces manipulating us, and dark beings occupying my thoughts.

Nathan finally confessed what he was worried about. “And yet. There’s just a feeling in the back of my mind like… relief. And then I feel so awful whenever I get that feeling. I love my family. I want to get back to them and help them and make sure they’re okay. I’m sorry.”

Ms. Ishida gave Nathan’s shoulder a comforting squeeze and smiled at her. “There are times when even the kindest person has dark moments.” Her morbid interest in the dark being sure proved that. Nathan managed a moment of smile. I offered a comforting touch myself.

Jamie stood and yawned. “Don’t expect me to be even a fraction as feminine as either of you. So cheesy.” He brushed himself off. I still comforted Nathan.

Then he asked, “Do we even have a plan for what we’re going to do now, or are we all going to just launch into a singing and dancing rendition of the Vagina Monologues?”

“I do have a plan,“ I told him.

“Excellent. Feel free to bring it out any time.”

I plopped my foot somewhere between a step and a stomp. “The plan is to clean out Ami’s room to dispel that dark creature. She has agreed to basic cleaning and sorting. At least the room will appear more organized.”

“And then?”

“What do you mean?”

He folded his arms. “You have considered beyond merely a bit of cleaning, right? What about those annoying images in the photo album? The cryptic list that definitely seems like something Nana would compose? The weird healing-factor? The weird everything. Just because you have a ‘thing’ for Ami doesn’t mean we can’t look at other options.” Now they were all looking at me.

I rubbed above my eyes. “We have no way of knowing that what’s happening to Ami isn’t related to what’s happening to us.”

“It’s a definite stretch… Meanwhile, you’re content to just let the wind carry you wherever it likes.” Jamie wiggled his fingers around to illustrate.

A slight chill went through me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You take no initiative.”

“And the wind?”

“I didn’t think out the metaphor that much…”

I squeezed my hands together. “It’s just that… this feeling of wind has creeped me out lately. It’s like it has a mind of its own.”

Jamie put a hand on his head, creating a new cascade of hair. “The wind is… toying with you or something?”

“It’s hard to say really but I’ve felt some weird things in association with the wind ever since we got here. It lingers, and then something odd occurs. I’m not sure if it’s a one-to-one relation but it’s been suspicious.”

“You know. The wind does stuff like that. Areas of a house are drafty. Winds come and go. I remember this one house I was in… well I can’t remember a lot, but I remember how every room was really chilly, and the air always got me in the neck.”

Ms. Ishida smiled. “My parents used to have a house like that. They told me about it. It was an old one they used to live in before they built this one. I felt like I knew it, despite the fact I never lived in it. They talked about it a lot.”

Jamie rubbed his girlish face. “Yeah, there are tons of places like that.”

On a whim, I asked, “What can tell me about your parents?”

She glanced out into space but answered quickly, “Well, my mother’s name was Toki and my father’s name was Masuyo. They lived in Ogawa all their lives. She loved to write and she published a few things. My father, as I said, was a professor of quantum physics. He taught at the same college I attend. Why do you ask?”

I told her, massaging my chin, “I’m just trying to piece everything together. What happened to your parents?”

“I remember that something happened to my father a while ago. I was young at the time. I don’t really remember much about him personally. The rest came from my mother. She was always rather cryptic about details. And she would spin all sorts of tales which captivated me about the supernatural, the dark, and the mysterious. She was so beautiful. All the neighbor girls loved to be around her.

“Then, one day, not too long ago, she was gone. I was alone with this big, empty house. And it felt familiar. But it was like a memory from before I had words to speak. It reminded me of another house. But I’d only ever lived in Mecchen. I wasn’t sure what to do with Mecchen until Nana showed up. And the rest followed. I so wish you three could’ve met my mother. So far as I know, among the girls, only Katsumi ever met her. She was always nice to any children she would meet.”

Her mention of an old memory had me wondering but wouldn’t allow me any definite conclusions. Having her name invoked seemed to have summoned Katsumi this time. She lingered nearby, dressed in her uniform, and looked us over. I was glad to be parting from her this morning in a considerably better way than the day before. Still, she had a look like a terribly-annoyed cat.

She asked, glancing, “Is Ami around?”

“She’s still up in her room but she’ll be down soon.”

Katsumi looked down the hall. “Oh well. Nevermind then. I shouldn’t concern myself with her drivel.” She looked right at Jamie. “What I really want to know is, has your manhood popped yet?”

“I’m still a manly man.” He raised his head high.

She grinned. “That won’t last. Shame I have to miss the moment when it finally happens. But I got the one I wanted, so I’m very happy, despite having to deal with Ami and Mami in class. Later, girls. Remember! You now must uphold the pride of all women! Bring no shame upon our gender, or you shall be trapped forever in the girliest fate of all! Celebrate your womanhood to your fullest or suffer the consequences!”

It was good to know Katsumi still had a firebrand’s spirit, in spite of everything. I wasn’t quite sure what constituted sufficient celebration and pride either. I was nice though and waved goodbye to her.
This is the chapter I'd been planning since I first got the idea for this story.

This has been a long time in coming...

All rights reserved by myself. Do not repost this without my permission. I heartily approve of fan art though.

This is a long story and the collective work of so many to get it right. So much has gone into this that I'm hesitant to post it but I need to put it out there. That said, I think I'll probably rewrite it eventually.

Tell me what you think.

I have never been to Japan. I did a lot of research to remedy this but I eventually found a plot reason why this place isn't a perfect replica of Japan...which helped. Forgive my flaws *bows*. I hope and pray my story ultimately does honor to a country I deeply respect.

At this point, the foreshadowing and the hints are laid on thick...but the answers are starting to come.

First - Prologue - [link]
Chapter 1 - [link]
Chapter 2 - [link]
Chapter 3 - [link]
Chapter 4 - [link]
Chapter 5 - [link]
Chapter 6 - [link]
Chapter 7 - [link]
Chapter 8 - [link]
Chapter 9 (Part 1) - [link]
Chapter 9 (Part 2) - [link]
Chapter 10 - [link]
Chapter 11 - [link]
Chapter 12 - [link]
Chapter 13 (Part 1) - [link]
Chapter 13 (Part 2) - [link]
Chapter 14 - [link]
Chapter 15 - [link]

Chapter 16 (Part 2) - [link]

Sketches of Characters - [link]

Map of Mecchen House - [link]
© 2009 - 2024 majorkerina
Comments42
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
tomjhyde's avatar
:star::star::star::star::star: Overall
:star::star::star::star::star: Vision
:star::star::star::star::star: Originality
:star::star::star::star::star: Technique
:star::star::star::star::star: Impact

This one’s a bit shorter than the first version of 13 and I found myself surprised to come to the end of it. But I can’t wait for the final section. And then I just realized that I’ve been working off your link down at the bottom, which only go to part 16. Here I thought I was almost done and I still have a bunch of chapters to go through. I hope you look past my little mistake.

The fight scene with the creature I’m going to call “Apathy” at the moment was very interesting but very confusion. I suspect the reason you did this is because it’s not truly a physical creature, but an embodiment of emotion and feeling. You can’t punch apathy in the face then throw it out the window. You have to try to move around it and get to what’s really important. If I’m interpreting this right, you did a great job at showing us this.

Ami’s words about submission struck a very personal cord with me. But my response isn’t for the public. If you want it, I’ll be happy to give it to you, but I think I’ll leave it up to you. That being said, you expressed something very powerful right here and even more so in Kelly’s response.

Tara’s presence is so powerful. She’s the polar opposite to Apathy. All she does is love, care and bring joy to others. For Pete’s sake, in her giggling happiness, she told Kelly she loved her! And the scents transferring to one another is so wonderful. She’s almost like a battery of joy that never dies.

-And her little comment about the “Dark Meanies” is cute and a little scary at the same time.
-Jamie and Kelly’s arguments are actually quite fun when you get past it all.
-Why does the appearance of Nana at the end of Nathan’s comment about his family not being here make me raise my eyebrow?
-Jamie snagged the wind comment. How long have you been waiting to use that line, hm?
-Ms. Ishida’s story, along with the dark being and other things has me in a whirl of confused thoughts and emotions at the moment. So many ideas and concepts are dancing for prominence that it’s hard to figure out what’s really going on.