Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Caged Bird ❯ Capture ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: MellyN 
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 03.06.2015 | Pages: 6 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 342 | Status: Work In Progress
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 03.06.2015 | Pages: 6 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 342 | Status: Work In Progress
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Caged Bird
By: Melissa Norvell
Chapter 2: Captive
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Finally reaching the shore of the island that he had been travelling to, Zeshen jumped from the front of the boat and turned around to grab his walking stick, which he had tucked underneath one of the wooden seats of the boat. The blind man grazed the stick across the ground, feeling the sand of the shore with its tip.
'I've never been to this place before. I didn't even know that there was an island over here.' He thought to himself as he glanced around at the blurry, unfamiliar surroundings.
For my caged soul longs to be free
Please...
Please help me...
The man's head snapped into the direction of the projected song. 'That' her! I've got to go to her! This may be my only chance to find out what she wants, and more importantly...Who she is.' Zeshen thought as he dashed through a plot of thick woods. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to concentrate on where all of the tree trunks and low-lying branches were so that he could avoid them. As he bolted through the foliage, the priest noticed that his eyesight gradually became a little better and soon he could better see the tree trunks and notice the difference between the plantsand the ground. 'I can see them...I don't know why or how but I can see these tree trunks.'
Zeshen picked up his cane and ran even faster. Now that he could see, he was easily able to dodge the obstructions and did not need any help from his stick. He could hear the voice, pouring into his soul and his senses as the singing voice grew closer and louder with every step.
There were so many questions that he longed to ask, as well as get to know whoever was singing it and why they would sing such a song.
'I don't know why, but I feel compelled to follow her voice. It's like it's reaching down into my soul and calling me.' Zeshen wondered why his vision was slowly becoming better as an image of the girl passed through his head; a fleeting thought. The man stumbled through the underbrush as he came to a clearing.
Before him was a large dome that looked like a birdcage, filled with a tropical paradise of plants, flowers and large, lush trees. He stared at the strange structure that he could nearly see with ease, not sure if his perfect vision was a product of his own eyes, or if someone had cast an illusion on them.
Inside of the cage, the small angel sat upon a thick tree branch. She over looked the entire realm of her cage as she sang.
Please...
Please he-
A Red-Eyed Vireo landed on her outstretched hand as she cut herself off from her song. The angel gasped as the green and white bird flew off into the sky, joined by a few other birds in the surrounding area. They had been perched in the trees, listening to the tranquility of her song but now that a human had appeared, they had become jittery and fled. The mahogany-haired angel looked at him with widened green eyes as she spotted the priest, peering through the barsof the cage at her.
All Zeshen could do was stare in awe. "It's you...You're the girl in my dreams..."
"It was you," the angel's young voice spoke in a timid tone.
"Huh?" The priest was confused. What did she mean by that?
"It was you who heard my song."
"Who are you and why are you singing such a sad song?" The man asked. Those words, those lyrics were unmistakable. They were only lyrics a distressed person would sing.
"My name is Kohanna and,” the green-eyed angel glanced sadly to the side. "I sing that song because I am sad, and lonely."
"What is this?" Zeshen glanced around at the large, iron cage.
"This is my cage. I'm a captive here,” the girl explained.
"Your cage?" What kind of place was this?
"I'm trapped here, all alone," Kohanna explained.
"Where is this place?"
"An island prison, I am kept here. To him, I am no more than a singing bird who longs to be free...but I know why the caged bird sings. The caged bird sings because of its sad fate." Her voice was a low tone as she glanced downward through the branches and at a small, beautiful lake below her. The water sparkled like glitter in the sunlight.
"What do you mean?" The words seemed cryptic to the man. To be honest, he had no idea what she was talking about. What did all of this mean? Why was she being held prisoner like this and by whom?
Kohanna looked up at him, "to put a caged bird by the window so that it can see the sky? It's cruel."
"It's better to look than not to, even if it hurts," Zeshen smiled at the girl through the bars of the cage. She descended from her tree and flew down to him, placing her hands on the inside of the bars. The black-haired priest reached through and placed a hand comfortingly on the small one on the other side.
"You truly are the one that I have been seeking, my savior." The angel smiled lightly at the man. He could see that she was hopeful in his appearance and seemed calmed by his touches and words. Since she had been lonely for such a long time, he imagined that anyone's presence would calm her aching soul.
"Is there any way that I can come inside?" He wanted to be able to touch Kohanna more, to embrace her and run his hands through her mahogany hair and tell her that he would save her, even though he had no idea of how to yet. He wanted to show her that she was not alone in the world. He was right there beside of her, holding her hand.
Before he could say any more, it was as if the angel granted his wish and teleported him inside of the cage. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. It was as if by magic, he disappeared and reappeared inside with her and now, the priest was staring into the soft, dark eyes of the angel before him with no barriers. Zeshen glanced at his hands, and then looked around at the paradise around him. The songs of birds echoed through the air and a gentle, temperate wind blew through his hair. It was the most wonderful terrarium-type of cage that he'd been in but it was desolate of any human life. If one stayed in there too long, then they might go crazy from loneliness.
"It's beautiful here, like a paradise," Zeshen looked to Kohanna. "There are so many birds." He could see the birds that sat in the branches, and looked down on him peacefully as small chirps escaped their beaks.
"I live here," Kohanna stated simply.
"Do you enjoy singing that song?" He asked.
"Huh?" The lolita-clad girl took her sights from the barred skies above and looked to the priest in question.
"It's a beautiful, haunting melody. You're a very good singer." Zeshen closed his eyes and smiled kindly at the girl, as her sorrowful melody intoxicated his senses. When he opened his eyes again, he saw round, green depths peering into his own. Now that the two of them had been face-to-face, he could see the shimmer of the dark green pigment in her eyes and witness her sorrow and how deep her loneliness plunged.
It was beautiful in the same way that tears were. It was a beauty that he wanted to change into one of happiness, a beauty that did not befit her at all.
"Your eyes," The girl was entranced by something about him.
"What about them?" He wondered aloud.
"Can I look into them?" Kohanna asked.
"Like this?" Zeshen moved into closer to the angel's face.
Then two petite, frail hands caressed both sides of his face she gently brought his head towards hers and took a long, deep look into his eyes. He was confused at why the girl wanted to see his eyes so much but he didn't mind her looking into them. Suddenly, he felt warm, as if he were standing beside of an open fire and he noticed that both of them were surrounded in a white, soft, glow.
"You poor thing, you're blind," Kohanna's voice seemed very sympathetic.
"I have an illness that deteriorates my vision. Even if I could help you, I cannot see very well so I am of no use to you." He had been so determined before, but now he wasn't sure. His disease was something that crippled him. Sight was a key source that humans relied on and even though his senses were heightened in other areas. Zeshen knew what his fate was as a blind man. His help would not be a lot, especially if he was facing off against something or someone in battle.
"I can help you. I can grant you the miracle of sight," Kohanna's voice was now calm and gentle, as if she were a mother speaking to a child. It was soothing to the priest and helped to keep his mind at ease while he let himself be surrounded by the gentle glowing light.
"Why would you go out of your way to help me?" Zeshen questioned. Surely there were those out there who were more suited for the job than he was, so why? Why was he chosen over those who had good eyesight?
"I don't know," the angel glanced to the side. She couldn't bear to look at him, especially because she knew that she was lying. The angel knew exactly why it was he whom she called upon to help her, but with things as they were, she could not tell him why she had chosen him.
"I want to help you, Kohanna. I'm just not sure of how I'm supposed to," the priest was utterly clueless as to what kind of threat he would have to face, even with his newly acquired sight. Everything seemed to be going by so quickly that it seemed surreal to him.
"If I can grant you sight, would you be able to help me?" The angel inquired, in hopes that his answer would be a positive one.
"Why did you pick me? What's so special about me?"
"You are very important to me, Zeshen. Please, please accept my gift. I owe you this much, for everything." Kohanna nearly begged the man as worry grew on her young features. She knew information that he did not and if he didn't chose this time to help her, and then they might not ever be able to accomplish their long-awaited dream. He had made a promise to her in the past and the angel was trying to make sure that the promise between them remained intact.
"I will help you no matter what," the black-haired man vowed. "You do not have to give me anything."
The small angel smiled happily and commented on how selfless the one before her was. It was one of the many reasons that she was fond of him and called out to him in specific with her haunting song. Slowly, she embraced him as the soft light beamed at its brightest for about five minutes. The glow subsided and then Zeshen opened his light blue eyes slowly to see the angel smiling at him.
His eyes widened in surprise. "It's you..."
"Can you see me?" Kohanna asked.
"Yes...I can..." The man was so shocked by his crystal clear vision that he could barely manage to force out the words. "You look exactly like my dream."
Kohanna's smile widened. She was happy that the miracle was a success. "I'm so glad that you can see me. I've always wanted to ease your pain, just as you have done mine."
"I don't understand. I haven't done anything for you," Zeshen was confused at her words. Perhaps this angel had the wrong person. Maybe she was meant to find someone else. Nothing that she was telling him made sense and for some strange reason, she acted as if they'd known each other for a long time.
Kohanna's sorrowful eyes fell upon the ground as she pulled away from their embrace, her hands still on his broad shoulders. "If only you remembered...I feel like this is my fault and that's why you don't. All of your past memories have faded and you've forgotten everything...Even me."
"What?" This only bewildered the once blind man even more.
"I'm sorry that I caused you so much pain," Kohanna knew that he didn't understand, but she had held her feelings in regarding the subject for far too long. If she didn't tell him now, she might not get the chance to later. The last thing that the angel needed in her life was another regret to bear. "I cannot undo the past, nor can I undo the pain that I've caused. I am sorry, Zeshen." The angel's voice was low and she seemed as if she were going to cry.
"Don't cry, Kohanna," he chided. He wasn't sure of why, but this angel's sad face seemed familiar and at that point, he wanted nothing more than to tell her that everything was going to be alright. Zeshen didn't know how much help he could be and what he was up against but he had decided then and there that he didn't want to see the angel's crying face. "I don't understand what's going on but I want to help you, so please tell me how I can free you and what I have to do." A look of determination crossed the man's face as the two of them could hear the faintest sound of what seemed to be a group of people, talking to each other in serious tones.
Kohanna's face lit up with shock as she realized what omens were to come. "Oh no, you must go before they find you!"
"What? Who are they?" Zeshen tried to ask, but before he could get the answers that he sought, the angel held her hands straight out and teleported him away before the approaching sentinels could catch sight of him. It was too soon for him to be spotted.
Kohanna glanced down at the ground in shame and fright, wondering if she had been spotted as the sentinels approached her extravagant bird cage. There had to be at least one-hundred of them, all dressed similar in starched black military dress with well-groomed hair. The men also carried a barrage of science fiction weaponry that looked as if it were pulled straight from the depths of a scifi novel. They all stood at attention when they came to her cage and then cleared a path down the middle as a young man with shoulder-length blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes walked towards her.
This man, by appearance alone, was no doubt wealthy and very handsome.
'Zeshen...Please find your way back to me. All of those years...All of those years I had relied on you to guide me to the human world. Giving you your sight back was the least I could do for someone who had saved my life in such a large way. I just wish that you could remember it...Remember me...' Kohanna's mind pleaded as she heard a calm, smooth male voice intone on her silent pleas.
"There you are, Kohanna," the blonde man spoke but the angel simply turned her back to him. "That is your name, isn't it?" He proceeded to ask. She had told him once before but he didn't want to make any mistakes in the matter. It was simply business and he was not the type to take heart to any of his prisoners, especially one that had a purpose such as hers.
Kohanna nodded in response.
"I haven't heard you sing in a while; I just thought that I'd check up on you." The blonde glanced up to the purple sky, tinted with the orange of the moon. "Today is the day of the Moon Festival. I thought that you'd be in high spirits, considering your kind are usually happy about this kind of thing."
The angel said nothing and refused to look at her captor.
"Why don't you sing your song?" The man took great seriousness in the quality of her voice and that fact that no matter how many times she had sang that same song, no one ever came to her rescue. His island was hidden and set up with a barrage of weaponry and armed guards. Not even a bird flew over it unnoticed.
Kohanna shook her head. She would never sing for him, for she had done so far too many times to count.
"No one will rescue you here. No matter how much you cry for help. This island is equipped with top security and no matter who comes here; they will never get you out of this cage. You're doing nothing more than killing two birds with one stone." He explained.
"What do you mean?" The angel's heart held a small amount of fear as her eyes widened and her guilty form became rigid. No doubt he had done more than caught on to her plans of freedom.
"My sentinels have informed me that someone has been on this island." Crossing his arms over his chest, the young man smiled triumphantly at his prey.
'Zeshen!'
Now, more than ever, there was a moment to fear. He had caught on faster then she thought that he would and now it was nothing more than a demented cat-and-mouse game for the blonde man and his crew of followers.
"It seemed to be nothing more than a blind man on a tea boat, Mr. Nakayama." One of the sentinels informed and cast a glance towards his boss.
'I can no longer hide. I must break free of this shell and pierce the world's binding chains. Zeshen...Please be safe and learn what you can about this island and Nakayama Eien. The knowledge you acquire will breathe life into an unfinished story in the past and just as a book that had not been read the entire way through, so shall our story soon come to closure.' The only thing that Kohanna could do now was to pray for his success in gathering the information that he needed about his island and Eien and hopefully, it would jar his memories as well.
"Some of those people from the Daikaku-ji Temple, I see. They probably found this island by mistake. Find them and have then escorted off. We don't want anyone uncovering our plans. This plan must be kept top secret," Eien ordered as he turned to face his sentinels.
"Yes, sir!" The men called out in unison as they saluted their leader and darted off in search of the intruder.
Eien turned to leave and took a few steps forward before he glanced over his shoulder at the lolita-clad angel. "If this is some plan that you have to try and attempt your own rescue, you won't get very far. Don't think that you can save whoever it is by hiding them. This will only speed up my decision," Eien smirked devilishly, "if there's anything I know how to do, it’s killing- people - angels included."
With those final words the man walked off, leaving the angel alone once again.
Kohanna looked down in fear and surprise. She had not predicted that this would happen. What had she just done? 'Zeshen...'
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Suzuka slowly swept the wooden porch of her shrine, cleaning up from the festival the night before. Many people had been in and out of the shrine, eating by moonlight and enjoying the many sights as well as praying and giving offerings. The priestess looked out over the land before her as a gentle breeze toyed with her small ponytail, causing it to bob in the wind.
'
It's been a day and Zeshen hasn't returned...I wonder where he is...and if he's found what he's looking for.' She thought as a gentle rain began to fall. 'Hm...It's been raining a lot lately. I should go down and take the lanterns in before I run into a few problems.' Suzuka thought. If the painted lanterns got too wet, then the designs would run and she would have to prepare more for the next festival. It was not a pleasing thought to paint that many lanterns!
Taking an umbrella, the priestess walked out into the field, towards the handing lights. Purple eyes glanced at the light grey skies above her. 'So strange, it was perfectly clear on the night of the festival.'
"Huh?" The woman blinked as she was something lying underneath of the stringed lanterns. It was Zeshen and he was unconscious and soaked with rain. Quickly, Suzuka ran to his side and took him into the shrine before he could get sick.
Inside, she unclothed him and placed him in a fresh kimono, then laid him under the blankets of a warm futon and tended to his wet hair and cold form.
'He's soaked. I wonder how long he's been lying out there. No wonder he doesn't have a cold. I wonder...how he got there. He wasn't there earlier and I was just outside a few minutes ago.' Suzuka thought it very strange that he suddenly appeared like that. The priestess stared at his face to check for any signs of pain, but his demeanor was peaceful in nature and there were no blemishes on his body.
Slowly, the priest cracked open his light blue eyes, no longer clouded with the blindness of his crippling disease and for the first time in his entire life, he could see his friend clearly. "S-Suzuka? How did I?" He sat up slowly and glanced around the shrine. He could hear the gentle rain hitting against the outside of the building and feel the warm air of a nearby fire.
"Are you alri-" She began to ask but cut herself off as she noticed that the man's eyes showed no form of blindness. "Your eyes! They aren't clouded...They're clear!" She exclaimed, flabbergasted and taken aback by what she had seen. How did this happen? What happened to him to cause his vision to return without any hint of the faintest cloud in his eyes? Did he meet his angel?
Zeshen smiled kindly as the orange of the fire caressed his facial features. A moment of silence passed as he stared at the woman before him. "I can see you clearly now, Suzuka. You are a very beautiful woman."
...To Be Continued...
Caged Bird
By: Melissa Norvell
Chapter 2: Captive
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Finally reaching the shore of the island that he had been travelling to, Zeshen jumped from the front of the boat and turned around to grab his walking stick, which he had tucked underneath one of the wooden seats of the boat. The blind man grazed the stick across the ground, feeling the sand of the shore with its tip.
'I've never been to this place before. I didn't even know that there was an island over here.' He thought to himself as he glanced around at the blurry, unfamiliar surroundings.
For my caged soul longs to be free
Please...
Please help me...
The man's head snapped into the direction of the projected song. 'That' her! I've got to go to her! This may be my only chance to find out what she wants, and more importantly...Who she is.' Zeshen thought as he dashed through a plot of thick woods. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to concentrate on where all of the tree trunks and low-lying branches were so that he could avoid them. As he bolted through the foliage, the priest noticed that his eyesight gradually became a little better and soon he could better see the tree trunks and notice the difference between the plantsand the ground. 'I can see them...I don't know why or how but I can see these tree trunks.'
Zeshen picked up his cane and ran even faster. Now that he could see, he was easily able to dodge the obstructions and did not need any help from his stick. He could hear the voice, pouring into his soul and his senses as the singing voice grew closer and louder with every step.
There were so many questions that he longed to ask, as well as get to know whoever was singing it and why they would sing such a song.
'I don't know why, but I feel compelled to follow her voice. It's like it's reaching down into my soul and calling me.' Zeshen wondered why his vision was slowly becoming better as an image of the girl passed through his head; a fleeting thought. The man stumbled through the underbrush as he came to a clearing.
Before him was a large dome that looked like a birdcage, filled with a tropical paradise of plants, flowers and large, lush trees. He stared at the strange structure that he could nearly see with ease, not sure if his perfect vision was a product of his own eyes, or if someone had cast an illusion on them.
Inside of the cage, the small angel sat upon a thick tree branch. She over looked the entire realm of her cage as she sang.
Please...
Please he-
A Red-Eyed Vireo landed on her outstretched hand as she cut herself off from her song. The angel gasped as the green and white bird flew off into the sky, joined by a few other birds in the surrounding area. They had been perched in the trees, listening to the tranquility of her song but now that a human had appeared, they had become jittery and fled. The mahogany-haired angel looked at him with widened green eyes as she spotted the priest, peering through the barsof the cage at her.
All Zeshen could do was stare in awe. "It's you...You're the girl in my dreams..."
"It was you," the angel's young voice spoke in a timid tone.
"Huh?" The priest was confused. What did she mean by that?
"It was you who heard my song."
"Who are you and why are you singing such a sad song?" The man asked. Those words, those lyrics were unmistakable. They were only lyrics a distressed person would sing.
"My name is Kohanna and,” the green-eyed angel glanced sadly to the side. "I sing that song because I am sad, and lonely."
"What is this?" Zeshen glanced around at the large, iron cage.
"This is my cage. I'm a captive here,” the girl explained.
"Your cage?" What kind of place was this?
"I'm trapped here, all alone," Kohanna explained.
"Where is this place?"
"An island prison, I am kept here. To him, I am no more than a singing bird who longs to be free...but I know why the caged bird sings. The caged bird sings because of its sad fate." Her voice was a low tone as she glanced downward through the branches and at a small, beautiful lake below her. The water sparkled like glitter in the sunlight.
"What do you mean?" The words seemed cryptic to the man. To be honest, he had no idea what she was talking about. What did all of this mean? Why was she being held prisoner like this and by whom?
Kohanna looked up at him, "to put a caged bird by the window so that it can see the sky? It's cruel."
"It's better to look than not to, even if it hurts," Zeshen smiled at the girl through the bars of the cage. She descended from her tree and flew down to him, placing her hands on the inside of the bars. The black-haired priest reached through and placed a hand comfortingly on the small one on the other side.
"You truly are the one that I have been seeking, my savior." The angel smiled lightly at the man. He could see that she was hopeful in his appearance and seemed calmed by his touches and words. Since she had been lonely for such a long time, he imagined that anyone's presence would calm her aching soul.
"Is there any way that I can come inside?" He wanted to be able to touch Kohanna more, to embrace her and run his hands through her mahogany hair and tell her that he would save her, even though he had no idea of how to yet. He wanted to show her that she was not alone in the world. He was right there beside of her, holding her hand.
Before he could say any more, it was as if the angel granted his wish and teleported him inside of the cage. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. It was as if by magic, he disappeared and reappeared inside with her and now, the priest was staring into the soft, dark eyes of the angel before him with no barriers. Zeshen glanced at his hands, and then looked around at the paradise around him. The songs of birds echoed through the air and a gentle, temperate wind blew through his hair. It was the most wonderful terrarium-type of cage that he'd been in but it was desolate of any human life. If one stayed in there too long, then they might go crazy from loneliness.
"It's beautiful here, like a paradise," Zeshen looked to Kohanna. "There are so many birds." He could see the birds that sat in the branches, and looked down on him peacefully as small chirps escaped their beaks.
"I live here," Kohanna stated simply.
"Do you enjoy singing that song?" He asked.
"Huh?" The lolita-clad girl took her sights from the barred skies above and looked to the priest in question.
"It's a beautiful, haunting melody. You're a very good singer." Zeshen closed his eyes and smiled kindly at the girl, as her sorrowful melody intoxicated his senses. When he opened his eyes again, he saw round, green depths peering into his own. Now that the two of them had been face-to-face, he could see the shimmer of the dark green pigment in her eyes and witness her sorrow and how deep her loneliness plunged.
It was beautiful in the same way that tears were. It was a beauty that he wanted to change into one of happiness, a beauty that did not befit her at all.
"Your eyes," The girl was entranced by something about him.
"What about them?" He wondered aloud.
"Can I look into them?" Kohanna asked.
"Like this?" Zeshen moved into closer to the angel's face.
Then two petite, frail hands caressed both sides of his face she gently brought his head towards hers and took a long, deep look into his eyes. He was confused at why the girl wanted to see his eyes so much but he didn't mind her looking into them. Suddenly, he felt warm, as if he were standing beside of an open fire and he noticed that both of them were surrounded in a white, soft, glow.
"You poor thing, you're blind," Kohanna's voice seemed very sympathetic.
"I have an illness that deteriorates my vision. Even if I could help you, I cannot see very well so I am of no use to you." He had been so determined before, but now he wasn't sure. His disease was something that crippled him. Sight was a key source that humans relied on and even though his senses were heightened in other areas. Zeshen knew what his fate was as a blind man. His help would not be a lot, especially if he was facing off against something or someone in battle.
"I can help you. I can grant you the miracle of sight," Kohanna's voice was now calm and gentle, as if she were a mother speaking to a child. It was soothing to the priest and helped to keep his mind at ease while he let himself be surrounded by the gentle glowing light.
"Why would you go out of your way to help me?" Zeshen questioned. Surely there were those out there who were more suited for the job than he was, so why? Why was he chosen over those who had good eyesight?
"I don't know," the angel glanced to the side. She couldn't bear to look at him, especially because she knew that she was lying. The angel knew exactly why it was he whom she called upon to help her, but with things as they were, she could not tell him why she had chosen him.
"I want to help you, Kohanna. I'm just not sure of how I'm supposed to," the priest was utterly clueless as to what kind of threat he would have to face, even with his newly acquired sight. Everything seemed to be going by so quickly that it seemed surreal to him.
"If I can grant you sight, would you be able to help me?" The angel inquired, in hopes that his answer would be a positive one.
"Why did you pick me? What's so special about me?"
"You are very important to me, Zeshen. Please, please accept my gift. I owe you this much, for everything." Kohanna nearly begged the man as worry grew on her young features. She knew information that he did not and if he didn't chose this time to help her, and then they might not ever be able to accomplish their long-awaited dream. He had made a promise to her in the past and the angel was trying to make sure that the promise between them remained intact.
"I will help you no matter what," the black-haired man vowed. "You do not have to give me anything."
The small angel smiled happily and commented on how selfless the one before her was. It was one of the many reasons that she was fond of him and called out to him in specific with her haunting song. Slowly, she embraced him as the soft light beamed at its brightest for about five minutes. The glow subsided and then Zeshen opened his light blue eyes slowly to see the angel smiling at him.
His eyes widened in surprise. "It's you..."
"Can you see me?" Kohanna asked.
"Yes...I can..." The man was so shocked by his crystal clear vision that he could barely manage to force out the words. "You look exactly like my dream."
Kohanna's smile widened. She was happy that the miracle was a success. "I'm so glad that you can see me. I've always wanted to ease your pain, just as you have done mine."
"I don't understand. I haven't done anything for you," Zeshen was confused at her words. Perhaps this angel had the wrong person. Maybe she was meant to find someone else. Nothing that she was telling him made sense and for some strange reason, she acted as if they'd known each other for a long time.
Kohanna's sorrowful eyes fell upon the ground as she pulled away from their embrace, her hands still on his broad shoulders. "If only you remembered...I feel like this is my fault and that's why you don't. All of your past memories have faded and you've forgotten everything...Even me."
"What?" This only bewildered the once blind man even more.
"I'm sorry that I caused you so much pain," Kohanna knew that he didn't understand, but she had held her feelings in regarding the subject for far too long. If she didn't tell him now, she might not get the chance to later. The last thing that the angel needed in her life was another regret to bear. "I cannot undo the past, nor can I undo the pain that I've caused. I am sorry, Zeshen." The angel's voice was low and she seemed as if she were going to cry.
"Don't cry, Kohanna," he chided. He wasn't sure of why, but this angel's sad face seemed familiar and at that point, he wanted nothing more than to tell her that everything was going to be alright. Zeshen didn't know how much help he could be and what he was up against but he had decided then and there that he didn't want to see the angel's crying face. "I don't understand what's going on but I want to help you, so please tell me how I can free you and what I have to do." A look of determination crossed the man's face as the two of them could hear the faintest sound of what seemed to be a group of people, talking to each other in serious tones.
Kohanna's face lit up with shock as she realized what omens were to come. "Oh no, you must go before they find you!"
"What? Who are they?" Zeshen tried to ask, but before he could get the answers that he sought, the angel held her hands straight out and teleported him away before the approaching sentinels could catch sight of him. It was too soon for him to be spotted.
Kohanna glanced down at the ground in shame and fright, wondering if she had been spotted as the sentinels approached her extravagant bird cage. There had to be at least one-hundred of them, all dressed similar in starched black military dress with well-groomed hair. The men also carried a barrage of science fiction weaponry that looked as if it were pulled straight from the depths of a scifi novel. They all stood at attention when they came to her cage and then cleared a path down the middle as a young man with shoulder-length blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes walked towards her.
This man, by appearance alone, was no doubt wealthy and very handsome.
'Zeshen...Please find your way back to me. All of those years...All of those years I had relied on you to guide me to the human world. Giving you your sight back was the least I could do for someone who had saved my life in such a large way. I just wish that you could remember it...Remember me...' Kohanna's mind pleaded as she heard a calm, smooth male voice intone on her silent pleas.
"There you are, Kohanna," the blonde man spoke but the angel simply turned her back to him. "That is your name, isn't it?" He proceeded to ask. She had told him once before but he didn't want to make any mistakes in the matter. It was simply business and he was not the type to take heart to any of his prisoners, especially one that had a purpose such as hers.
Kohanna nodded in response.
"I haven't heard you sing in a while; I just thought that I'd check up on you." The blonde glanced up to the purple sky, tinted with the orange of the moon. "Today is the day of the Moon Festival. I thought that you'd be in high spirits, considering your kind are usually happy about this kind of thing."
The angel said nothing and refused to look at her captor.
"Why don't you sing your song?" The man took great seriousness in the quality of her voice and that fact that no matter how many times she had sang that same song, no one ever came to her rescue. His island was hidden and set up with a barrage of weaponry and armed guards. Not even a bird flew over it unnoticed.
Kohanna shook her head. She would never sing for him, for she had done so far too many times to count.
"No one will rescue you here. No matter how much you cry for help. This island is equipped with top security and no matter who comes here; they will never get you out of this cage. You're doing nothing more than killing two birds with one stone." He explained.
"What do you mean?" The angel's heart held a small amount of fear as her eyes widened and her guilty form became rigid. No doubt he had done more than caught on to her plans of freedom.
"My sentinels have informed me that someone has been on this island." Crossing his arms over his chest, the young man smiled triumphantly at his prey.
'Zeshen!'
Now, more than ever, there was a moment to fear. He had caught on faster then she thought that he would and now it was nothing more than a demented cat-and-mouse game for the blonde man and his crew of followers.
"It seemed to be nothing more than a blind man on a tea boat, Mr. Nakayama." One of the sentinels informed and cast a glance towards his boss.
'I can no longer hide. I must break free of this shell and pierce the world's binding chains. Zeshen...Please be safe and learn what you can about this island and Nakayama Eien. The knowledge you acquire will breathe life into an unfinished story in the past and just as a book that had not been read the entire way through, so shall our story soon come to closure.' The only thing that Kohanna could do now was to pray for his success in gathering the information that he needed about his island and Eien and hopefully, it would jar his memories as well.
"Some of those people from the Daikaku-ji Temple, I see. They probably found this island by mistake. Find them and have then escorted off. We don't want anyone uncovering our plans. This plan must be kept top secret," Eien ordered as he turned to face his sentinels.
"Yes, sir!" The men called out in unison as they saluted their leader and darted off in search of the intruder.
Eien turned to leave and took a few steps forward before he glanced over his shoulder at the lolita-clad angel. "If this is some plan that you have to try and attempt your own rescue, you won't get very far. Don't think that you can save whoever it is by hiding them. This will only speed up my decision," Eien smirked devilishly, "if there's anything I know how to do, it’s killing- people - angels included."
With those final words the man walked off, leaving the angel alone once again.
Kohanna looked down in fear and surprise. She had not predicted that this would happen. What had she just done? 'Zeshen...'
XxXxXx
Suzuka slowly swept the wooden porch of her shrine, cleaning up from the festival the night before. Many people had been in and out of the shrine, eating by moonlight and enjoying the many sights as well as praying and giving offerings. The priestess looked out over the land before her as a gentle breeze toyed with her small ponytail, causing it to bob in the wind.
'
It's been a day and Zeshen hasn't returned...I wonder where he is...and if he's found what he's looking for.' She thought as a gentle rain began to fall. 'Hm...It's been raining a lot lately. I should go down and take the lanterns in before I run into a few problems.' Suzuka thought. If the painted lanterns got too wet, then the designs would run and she would have to prepare more for the next festival. It was not a pleasing thought to paint that many lanterns!
Taking an umbrella, the priestess walked out into the field, towards the handing lights. Purple eyes glanced at the light grey skies above her. 'So strange, it was perfectly clear on the night of the festival.'
"Huh?" The woman blinked as she was something lying underneath of the stringed lanterns. It was Zeshen and he was unconscious and soaked with rain. Quickly, Suzuka ran to his side and took him into the shrine before he could get sick.
Inside, she unclothed him and placed him in a fresh kimono, then laid him under the blankets of a warm futon and tended to his wet hair and cold form.
'He's soaked. I wonder how long he's been lying out there. No wonder he doesn't have a cold. I wonder...how he got there. He wasn't there earlier and I was just outside a few minutes ago.' Suzuka thought it very strange that he suddenly appeared like that. The priestess stared at his face to check for any signs of pain, but his demeanor was peaceful in nature and there were no blemishes on his body.
Slowly, the priest cracked open his light blue eyes, no longer clouded with the blindness of his crippling disease and for the first time in his entire life, he could see his friend clearly. "S-Suzuka? How did I?" He sat up slowly and glanced around the shrine. He could hear the gentle rain hitting against the outside of the building and feel the warm air of a nearby fire.
"Are you alri-" She began to ask but cut herself off as she noticed that the man's eyes showed no form of blindness. "Your eyes! They aren't clouded...They're clear!" She exclaimed, flabbergasted and taken aback by what she had seen. How did this happen? What happened to him to cause his vision to return without any hint of the faintest cloud in his eyes? Did he meet his angel?
Zeshen smiled kindly as the orange of the fire caressed his facial features. A moment of silence passed as he stared at the woman before him. "I can see you clearly now, Suzuka. You are a very beautiful woman."
...To Be Continued...