Prelude
|No body knows what happened. They just disappeared, just like the dinosaurs millions of years ago. Yet, the differences between humanity and giant lizards go without speaking. The dinosaurs at least had theories that made sense. Meteors, disease, even aliens. But the humans... Nothing. Maybe that lies with the concept that the humans didn't really disappear, the became something else.
Humans became animals, animals became more like humans, and now there is no definition. There's no curiosity, no questions, no answers, no reason. With the change in climate and species came a wave of carelessness. We don't bother asking questions we can't answer and don't bother researching to find the answers. We just live life. Is that good or bad?
We do have new establishment. I have been told that our continent was divided into three in the past. That all the continents had different areas with different people. All there is now is Nitechu... No America, Canada, or Mexico, those only exist in the stories of history books.
I think I was there. When the humans died out... Maybe I caused it. I was told Mayura was an evil woman. "A beast of blood and terror wrapped in beauty" That's what Virgo had said. I never asked if he actually knew her... I'll remember to.
They all say I'm nothing like Mayura. But I am her aren't I? I was made from her. Mayura was evil, but she wasn't born that way, she was turned that way. She begged for forgiveness for her horrible deeds against the gentry. It was granted on the standards that she be reborn with no memory of her past, no sins in her book, and newly born innocence.
Sometimes I have dreams about her. I wake up feeling horrible... I always hear faint whispers, trying to call me back to sleep. Maybe I am closer to Mayura than I think... But I'm not Mayura.
I'm Rikaru.|
Chapter One
A loud wiring broke through the dim light of dawn. Rikaru stirred under her quilt. The persistent noise still continued. She jolted up, "What the hell?" She spoke to the chilling air. She stood and staggered to the window, pulling the shades back the dim light hit her eyes. They were still thick with sleep and she rubbed them generously. Peering out the window, a street sweeper slowly worked its way down the road. "Its not going to get any cleaner, no matter how hard you try!" She shouted with obvious annoyance. The man grimaced and regarded her with a raise of his finger. She sighed and closed the shades.
She headed back a plopped, stomach down, onto her bed. She glared at the clock, 7:23am, way to early. She usually didn't rise until eleven, unless she had something important to do, which she rarely did. She lay there for a while longer, pondering what to do. She was tired still, but chances were she wasn't going to get back to sleep. She rolled onto her back and about that time her door creaked open.
Kitchi sat on the floor near her dresser. His little ears were perked and his tail swished back and forth. His white fur glistened in the thin light that crept through the curtains. He wore a grin and his glossy eyes were locked on her. Rikaru wondered if he had sensed her waking from the couch downstairs. "Wow you're up early" She sighed.
"As are you" The little cat chirped, "Are you hungry?
She looked at ceiling for a moment as if thinking about the question. "Yeah" She said, "I am, I guess." She blessed him with a lazy smile.
"Well c'mon then lazy face, lets make something." With that he turned and soon after she heard his soft toes tap down the stairs. She stood once again and groaned. Her back was sore and she had a headache.
"Happy friggin Sunday” She mumbled sarcastically to herself. She exited her room and headed directly to the bathroom. As she sat down her back cracked and she cursed it. Sitting on the toilet she glared up at the seizuring light bulb performing a flickering dance, and then if on queue, in went out with a spark. She giggled at it. If walls do indeed have eyes, hers are going to love watching her fall on her a** during a desperate, nighttime bathroom venture.
Rikaru headed toward the mirror, rinsed her hands, then her face. She looked at herself. Silky black hair- a mess, last nights makeup- also a mess, her fuzzy ears jutting angrily from the sides of her face, and her scars... One on the right cheek, two on the left... That drew her almost to think once again of their creator, but she fought the urge.
Downstairs Kitchi had been joined by her other cat Tama. They paced the kitchen eagerly. In the fridge she found some left over chicken salad and heaped it into their bowls. Kitchi ate gingerly while Tame tried to make it a contest. Kitchi grimaced at his slurping noises. "I hope you choke" He growled with a forced smile.
"Oh hardie-har-har" Tama chimed spraying pre-chewed chicken bits at his companion's face and flecking his own black fur. Rikaru smiled and settled on a chicken salad sandwich and Oreos.
Rikaru drug herself back upstairs, reached the bathroom, and started up the shower. After she stripped she stepped into, and soon jumped back at the cold water. "Stupid shower..." She mumbled fiddling with the knobs, then she heard it. The screams... Only she could hear them, she discovered long ago, but that made them all the more troubling. They were memories... But not hers, Mayura's. Maybe she was regretting it, or remembering the satisfaction that came from slaughtering the innocent.
"You can’t spell slaughter without laughter!" Mayura's voice echoed though her skull. "
"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Rikaru wailed. "Leave me alone!" The room became dark, she got dizzy, then gentile hands held her. She looked up and squinted to see Tama's tan skin, dark hair, and yellow eyes. He had taken his humanoid form and was straining to maintain it. He grabbed a nearby towel, wrapped it around her, and picked her up. He carried her downstairs and set her on the couch.
She dazedly opened her eyes to see two feline faces staring at her from the back of the sofa. "Rikaru, oh thank the heavens! Are you okay?" Kitchi said with pleading eyes. She groaned and slowly sat up. The towel slipped and she quickly replaced it.
"What just happened?" She asked quietly. Looked back and forth from Tama to Kitchi.
"You had an episode... I carried you downstairs and put you on the couch." Tama slowly explained. Rikaru looked down at the towel then back at Tama.
"You saw me naked?!" She screeched.
"Oh jeez, like there's a big secret about what's under your cloths! I walk around naked all day, and besides I would never dream of fondling a woman!" Kitchi seemed to sense his meaning and lowered his gaze toward the floor. Rikaru sighed and giggled.
Having successfully taken a shower and reclothed herself Rikaru returned to her spot on the couch. She grabbed the remote and flicked on the TV. She surfed through the infomercials and kiddy cartoons to find a decent news show. Behind a desk a blond cat woman yammered on about some kind of new piece of crap technology causing ear cancer. Then it flashed to a rough skinned man wearing a pin striped suite. He explained that there was a body found in Central park early this morning. It was a sickening, horned male suspected of being a Darkly. There were signs of a struggle and blood of another individual at the scene.
The Darkly, gloomy, maleficent creatures. They were believed to only live in the underground portions of the city, but recently have been making rather destructive visits to the surface. They were said to be gruesome, heartless, murderous devils. Rikaru didn't know, she'd never seen one... As scary as it seemed, there was part of her that kind of wanted to. Maybe Mayura was a Darkly...
The sound of the mail being stuffed in the box outside tore her attention from her reveries. She opened the door and grabbed it sparing enough time to take a deep breath of thick fall air. Sifting through the letters it occurred to her that most of them were Virgo's, which made her miss him quite a bit and wonder when he would be home. She lost the thought upon seeing a rather decorative letter with her name on the front.
The inside read, "You application and samples have been reviewed and we believe you are a good candidate for our request. Would you mind coming to the office sometime before the 6th to be further interviewed?
The address is 59311 Alpex Dr.
Thank you,
D. J. Ravens
"Oh my god..." Rikaru mumbled to herself. Tama ran to her feet, followed closely by Kitchi.
"What's up?" He asked.
"I get to paint." She panted.
"Huh?" He asked blankly.
"The application I sent in... For D. J. Ravens! He wants me to paint for him... I'm going now!"
"Whoa, like what will you be painting? Movie posters, food advertisements, houses?" Tama teased.
"No, stuff like church murals and-"
"Church murals!?" Tama interrupted. He fell on his back and began laughing hysterically.
"Oh stop! I think it's nice." Kitchi said softly.
"Yeah, you would!" Tama snickered. "Rikaru, have to make me a promise. Make sure that at least one of the angels has a mustache, or maybe devil horns!" Tama continued to giggle.
"That doesn't make any sense!" Kitchi snapped at him. Rikaru, rolled her eyes, grabbed her coat, and went through the door. She would've said goodbye but she was sure they wouldn't have heard her though their bickering.
On the way she stopped at her favorite coffee stand, the Lil' Corner Cafe', for a hot mocha. It was a bit chillier out than she thought it would be and a hot drink was just what she needed. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see Missy, he speckled leopard ears mostly covered by a light blue stocking cap. Momo, silently ran up behind her, her fuzzy rabbit ears bouncing with every step she took.
"Whatchya doin'?" Missy asking smiling a mischievous fanged grin. Momo giggled.
"Nothin getting some coffee, you?"
"Not much just heading over to the university, got a big test today." Missy said with an exhausted sigh.
"Still trying to get that degree, huh? You should take a break, you look pretty bummed out." Rikaru said with concern in her voice.
"Nah, besides what’s the point of being smarter than the rest of the world if you don't have a fancy piece of paper to prove it." Missy laughed. "Actually, Momo's been staying up late and helping me study every night, bless her heart."
With that the little girl blushed. "I'm just tagging along to make sure she does okay." Momo said in a soft voice.
The woman behind the counter handed Rikaru her coffee and she gave her two dollars. Momo watched as Rikaru poured cinnamon and sugar into the cup and stole a drink before she could. She handed back the cup and licked her lips. Missy grimaced.
"Well I got to head off," Rikaru said, walking away "I might be painting today!"
"You got the job!?" Missy boomed enthusiastically. Momo grinned and clapped her hands.
"Maybe!" she said back.
She continued down the street, past a woman pushing a shopping cart full of cans and bottles and an old couple walking four small dogs. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw something fall from the sky. She paid it no mind, she was to excited to think of anything but painting for one of New York’s big names.
59311 Alpex Dr. was a tall brick building. It looked old, perhaps a relic from the human age. She headed inside, the room she entered was cleverly furnished with green carpet, cream walls, and a couple decorative sofas, it had a rather antique feel to it. A dark haired woman with barbed skin sat behind the desk. Rikaru approached her, "Hello?" She asked the woman softly.
"Yes?" the woman responded barely raising her gaze from her paperwork.
"I'm here to see Mr. Ravens." she said and the woman pushed her glasses to the end of her nose to examine her.
"Rikaru?" She asked and she nodded. "Up the stairs, to your left. Have fun." she said unenthused.
Rikaru trotted up the winding staircase. She felt giddy, not only was she about to meat D. J. Ravens, but he had been expecting her! Indeed the first door to the left stated in a black-on-gold sign, D. J. Ravens- Company President. She knocked twice.
"Come in." A smooth voice answered. She open the door shyly. Mr. Ravens sat behind his desk. He look nothing like she had imagined. To start he was a younger than she had pictured, he had fair, pale skin and black hair the partially covered his eyes. He wore a faded graphic t-shirt, mostly covered by a worn pinstriped jacket. He had pointed ears that knifed through his hair. They reminded her of Virgo's.
"Sit down." He gestured toward a chair in front of his desk. She sat down and slightly lowered her gaze to keep from staring. He was rather hansom. "So, Rikaru... What makes you think you have what it takes to paint from Ravens Projects Incorporated?" he said with a flirtatious grin, as if sensing her discomfort.
"Umm... Well I'm up to challenges and I'm usually always in the mood to paint... Oh and I'll paint just about anything, or at least try." She stammered. He gave a satisfied smile.
'Well, then lets put that to the test." He announced, "Follow me." He got up. Rikaru thought of asking questions but decided not to.
He lead her to another winding stair case, which they followed for several stories. Soon he open a door and they were on a roof. He went to a trunk next to a small, dying garden and produced a canvas and large case. He handed them to her.
"What am I painting?" Rikaru asked, excited and confused at the same time.
He pointed to a bronze statue of an angel, one of the wings broken off. "See that statue?" He pointed to the canvas. "Bring it to life." Without another word, he turned and went back down the stairs. He left her with no other option but to sit in the cold and paint.
He returned a couple hours later he stared over her shoulder. The once broken angel now sat on a cloud, her once lost wing had been returned to her and she wore a soulful smile across her blushing face.
"Impressive." His words broke the silence and Rikaru jumped at his sudden presence.
"Oh.. Umm, hi." She stuttered. "How is it?" She asked holding the picture up for him.
"Wow." He said softly. "You know most people, upon hearing 'bring it to life' would draw a renewed version of the statue. But, you... You drew the angel as an actually being. You brought her to life."
"So you like it?" Rikaru asked, hopeful.
"Yes. I love it. A matter of fact, I'm hanging it my office." He grinned into her dark eyes. "Oh, and yes. You have the job." He chuckled at the grin that spread across her face.
Rikaru stood on the front step of the building. "So you'll be here in one week, that’s next Sunday, got it?" he said.
"Yes, I'll definitely be here! Thank you so much Mr. Ravens!" She said with a smile.
"My pleasure," He said with a slight laugh. "And from now on call me Disma!" Rikaru nodded and began her trek home.
It was getting dark by the time she reached her block. She hadn't realized how long it took. She watched as streetlights popped on one by one. Then something else caught her eye. She approached and gasped.
Laying against a broken fence was a man. His long black hair covered most of his face. Blood poured from an open wound across his bare chest and a shredded coat hung from his shoulders. As she grew closer to him she noticed leathery wings plastered to his back and as he weakly gazed up at her she let her mind wonder back to her cats' argument. She had to disagree with Kitchi...
Because what she was seeing, was an angel, with devil horns.
