• Heart of a Samurai By Vanessa

    In this crowd i will search, for someone much like myself. Somebody who has experienced pain before. And someone who knows the actual meaning of feelings. I shall also search for someone who knows what sadness is.
    Colors dance upon the sidewalk I sit on, people pass without a care. Nobody is the right one I am so dearly looking for.
    The Gods above do not like my decision, for they pout make it rain.
    It rains very hard.
    People run past me, with newspapers covering their heads, coats billowing out behind them.
    The rain pours down harder and my hair is starting to feel like a mop. Suddenly the rain stops. I look up, and a girl is standing there, holding an umbrella and the most beautiful smile in the world.
    Her eyes are soft brown and her hair as silky as a cat's fur. She was wearing a white mink coat and boots with pom poms on them.
    The demons inside me cool off as I take the outstretched hand she offered me.
    "Thanks," I mumble, a bit embarrassed she see's me like this.
    I'm in pain as she pulls me along the streets of Japan, smiling and waving to everyone she and I pass.
    Almost everyone smiles or waves back.
    I'm happy to see her like this, and yet I am a bit jealous.
    Seeing people like this makes me on-edge, makes me feel like they will suddenly turn on me, leaving my in darkness again.
    Again.
    It's sad that this sort of thing has happened to me more than once, yet It's the way the world of humans work.
    It quite unfortunate really, the way the human race is a new butterfly, with delicate wings of gold and silver, that then turns into an angry red monster,
    with many feelings, and hate towards others in the human race.
    We are all the same, so why kill one another?
    Another thing that I hate, is when people resort to the last way to get a quick and easy death, or some ways to be 'happy'.
    I went down that road once......
    ....never again will I do an idiotic thing like that again.
    Now I notice I am being pulled up the steps of an apartment......It is really nice in fact.
    The receptionist at the desk raises an eye at the both of us and asks: "Another boyfriend, Miss Nakamura?"
    Miss Nakamura shook her head.
    "No, another one of the God's Underlings."
    I did not know what she meant by underling in one sence or another, but I hoped it meant something good.
    Miss Nakamura half dragged, half pulled me up to her tiny apartment room and forced me to sit down in a chair.
    "So," she pointedly said after sitting down. "Tell me about yourself." I opened my mouth to ask her something but she interrupted me by saying:
    "Before I go into the details of why you are here today."
    I breathed deeply and looked around the room, it had the plain white walls type, with a few paintings on the wall.
    Miss Nakamura saw me stare at one particular painting that had caught my eye, and said: "That was painted by my husband, before he died." I looked at the painting and then at her, and whispered: "I am so sorry."
    She looked up at me with those endless black eyes, and answered back in a clear voice: "don't be. It's been so long its best to leave behind the pain I have dealt with for so long."
    I shook my head to erase the thoughts flowing through my head, on how her husband died; was it the recent subway station accident?
    Miss Nakamura is talking again, I have missed completely what she had said, but I shook my head again when she asked me for my name.
    "Nagasaki." I stammered.
    She smiled at me; a sad but nice smile.
    I looked up at her again and she gave me another quick smile.
    "So," she started again, "Do you know why you are here?"
    I gave a weak smile myself and replied: "To turn me into the police?"
    She gave a short laugh and replied quietly: "No, I have brought you up to talk about something very important."
    I looked at her, and then I knew what she meant.
    The dreaded dragon that I had held inside me for so long, the dragon that had almost killed me from doing what ever he said.
    The dragon is named 'Dahdah' in other words, Drugs.
    She looked at me, and I instantly knew what had happened to her husband.
    He was killed by the same demon....'Orochi'.....'the dragon.'
    My heart sank and I asked her quietly what had happened.
    Miss Nakamura-san gave me another of those sad smiles and started her story........

    It was June 4th, hot and sunny. Daiki and I were taking a stroll through the Korakuen Garden, happy and content.
    Suddenly we past a group of Romaji, selling out drugs to those few who were willing to take it.
    I saw one of them talk 'icely' to a little boy, probably only about 10 years of age.
    I prepared to run up to the group and snatch the boy from the Romaji demon clutches, but Daiki held me back.
    I looked helplessly on, as the man with the drugs handed the boy a small package.
    I held my breath as another demon came running up, but to my relife; it was his mother. (at least I hope it was)
    When we passed the group, the extended their hands out to us, showing their goods they wanted money for.
    I said to them: "We like our heath thanks."
    My husband made a noise that sounded like agreement to what I said, and we started to walk out of the park quicker than what we both expected.

    When we got home, I noticed Daiki was looking a bit down about something, so I asked him what was wrong.

    He suddenly turned on me, and got very nasty, spitting in my face; telling me it was nothing to worry about.

    Well, after that incident, I felt it was something to worry about, and became suspicious of my husband's reactions.

    Soon, his reactions to the whole situation became out of hand….he started coming home later and later, with the smell of sake on his breath, and yellow teeth from all the smoking he had been doing lately.

    Then the abusive behavior started.

    One night, Daiki came home with another woman, and he looked awfully messed up; hair greasy and spiked, clothes worn and dirty, and a few gash everywhere. I just stared open mouthed at him and his acquired 'girlfriend' as they stumbled into the apartment.

    "Maya," he said softly; his words slurred a bit. "I'm sorry." I looked at the girl, who had started out the door and vanished into the hallway. A hand came down on my shoulder lightly, and another hand reached out to hold me.

    "Daiki," I whispered so softly, I hardly could hear it myself. Daiki held me tighter and I started to cry a little. "Daiki," I started to say. "Who was that girl you were with?"

    Daiki's grip on me loosened and I could feel his body shake in fury. His eyes lit up in an unknown anger, and before I could move, a hand came down hard and slapped me across the face.

    "That-has-nothing-to-do-with-you!" He yelled at me. I stumbled back, blood filling in my mouth, and raised my hand to my cheek, which stung at my very touch.

    He then slammed me against the wall and held me in a choke mode. I gurgled and coughed, trying to breath, but his grip was too strong. Black spots appeared in front of my eyes, and I felt unreasonably dizzy. Then a knock at the door stopped us short.

    "Open up!" yelled a voice outside. "This is the Police!"


    Part 2


    Daiki stared at the door, then at me and bolted for the windows. I Slumped to the floor and watched helplessly as he started to climb out the side.

    The door burst open just as Daiki was clambering over the windowsill, and raced to where I was laying; checking me if I was hurt.

    "Where is he?" One of the officers asked quietly. I pointed to the window, my hand quavering slightly as some of the officers advanced to where my husband was.

    I heard my husband yelling 'no, no, no!!!' then a short scream sliced through the air, and then silence.

    I woke later to find myself in the hospital, with stitches in my face, and my arm I n a cast. I lifted my head an inch off the pillow, and saw my husband in the next bed over. "Daiki," I croaked out. He didn't sir an inch. "Daiki!" I screamed he still didn't move and I thrashed about in my bed, making the stitches in my face open again.

    A nurse came running and gasped at the sight of me, moving before I was mobile to do so.

    "Young Miss!" She said sternly. "What are you doing?" I didn't listen to her....I kept thrashing about and screamed at the top of my lungs Daiki's name. The nurse fought to keep me down then yelled to me: "He's resting, Okay?" That quieted me down quick. "Resting?" I asked. She looked at me seriously and replied in a soft and undertone voice: "Yes."
    Then she left the room without another word.
    Three days later we were both let out.
    then a day after, Daiki collapsed outside the apartment, A cut across his face, and looked like skeleton, white and thin.
    He was back in hospital before I could utter another word.
    Then one day while I was watering my Bonsai tree, my cell sang out to me like a newborn bird, calling for it's mother. I picked it up with a slight smile on my face, and then nearly dropped it in horror when the news reached me.
    Daiki
    Was
    Dead.
    I dropped to my knees and started to cry uncontrollably as I started out to my car and drove as fast as I could to the general hospital and breathlessly ran to his room.
    Top floor.....
    He was in his bed, looking very drained and white.
    apparently, he had died in a coma......so the doctors say.
    I feel guilty for not being by his side when he died.
    "Daiki," I whisper through choked tears. I lay my head beside him and sob into his neck. Suddenly I stop crying for a warm hand comes down on my shoulder and massages it lightly. I look up into the face of Daiki and gasp slightly.
    "Daiki!" I say in a loud whisper. He smiles and says to me "I'm Sorry Maya, I truly am....." I stare open mouthed at Daiki, he was shining, and two feet off the ground!
    "Maya, There is something you might want to see, look at the records." Daiki said softly to me.
    I looked at him; confused and he smiled sadly. "It will make you understand about the real me," he said. "Now I must go, for there is a light at the end of every path....and mine is showing clear as day." With that, Daiki evaporated into thin air.
    I stared at the place where he once stood, then dragged myself to my feet.
    I looked down at Daiki and kissed his cooled off forehead and picked up his records at the bedside table.
    What I saw, I was not prepared to see.......he--Daiki--Daiki had been taking drugs....and not just any drugs, the kind that would kll you in a matter of time.
    I ripped the sheets in in half and screamed to myself: "no! It can't be true!"
    But it was true.....the shredded records lay on the floor, but still fresh in my mind.
    Daiki had died....of overdose and drug abuse.
    I walked out with a lighter heart.....I thought to myself that Daiki would agree, if I helped others get out of the dark...they might find a new path in the light, and not end up like my Daiki was.
    I want their life to go on, live for my Daiki.
    R.I.P
    Maya wiped her eyes, they were red from crying. Nagasaki stared at her opened mouthed. He had never thought about the results that would or would have happend if he didn't stop taking the dope he was on. Somehow, this woman--Maya--had changed his life, he wanted to come out to see the world for the first time, for what it really is, for who he really is.
    Maya sniffed and whispered: "That's why I want you to live a good life, not thow your only chance of living life away."
    "Nagaski I want you to experience that life."
    Nagaski shook his head and stood, taking his hands and placing them overtop of Maya's hands gently and said in a hoarse whisper: "no, not Nagaski, Ukiyo... Life"
    Then Ukiyo walked out with Maya, hand in hand, ready to start over, new life, and nothing more, nothing less.
    He had finally found someone like him
    His Samurai.....