Vicissitude Yang Side

by Destine Williams

  There are more fallen mechs to dodge. Rabbits. Snakes. Rats. Dragons. Horses. Fallen and short-circuited. And noticeably more craters in the ceiling.

  The red flickers in the edge of my vision again.

  I bank around another corner, pumping my legs as fast as I can. A giant tiger mech on the other side. Impassable. I cut down the middle hall. I stop at a four-way intersection.

  Dead ends on all sides except for where I came.

  Shit.

  I turn around.

  Flecks of plaster spill down from the ceiling.

  Frenzied jolts of alarm. The ceiling! I scrabble back.

  The ceiling caves in.

  Dust, pipes, wire, and debris shower down, shrouding the hall in a thick cloud. In its wake, a small red shape crouches. It stands and walks forward into the open. Red billows behind in the form of a cloak. A pale hand removes the hood. Long auburn hair spills onto her shoulders. Apprehensive-looking amber eyes in an all-too familiar round face.

  My breath catches. "M-megumi?"

  She says nothing at first. Her chin drops to her chest. Then she shakes her head. In her tiny voice, she says, “Please don’t call me by that name. It will only make things worse for both of us.”

  "Megumi, what are you talking about?” I take a tentative step forward. For an instant, Vampire’s warning stops me. No… Vampire wouldn’t tell me to stay away from Megumi. Would she? Megumi is my friend. Not a monster. “Don't you recognize me?" I keep walking. “I thought you were dead. Why didn’t you come home?” I try to catch her eye, but Megumi won’t look at me.

  She holds out a hand. The Gene Watch on her wrist lights up, projecting a vermilion whip blade. “It’s Jun now, right? Her best friend.”

  I stop. Her?

  Megumi inhales deeply and closes her eyes. “I saw you in all of her memories. She is lucky to have a close friend like you.”

  “Who are—?”

  “I know I have no right to say this to you, but…” Black tendrils radiate from her body. The same ones that had bound Shig. She finally gives me a sheepish glance. “Please don’t judge me for what I’m about to do. I’d take it all back if I could.”

  “Judge you?” I echo. “Megumi—”

  The whip blade lashes at me.

  I stagger back, the bulb of my nose missing the sword’s tip. Then I bring up my own shield. “Megumi, I can help you.”

  Megumi stares at me, pained, as if the offer hurts. After a long moment, she pulls her red hood back down low over her eyes so I can’t see her face. She shakes her head again. The cloak starts to lift, edges becoming bird wings. “I am Masah Mune, the Vermilion Bird.”

  I take a step back. “Please…”

  “I’m sorry.”

  I can’t get through to her!

  She throws her empty hand forward. Lightning jets toward me.

  I bring up my shield.

  The force sends me back flying. I hit the cold tile. Pain jilts my back.

  Masah’s quick steps click on the tile. I roll onto my feet just in time to avoid a downward sweep of her blade.

  Shield at the ready, I inch back, painfully aware that I’m running out of room. Not like Amaterasu or the reflections.

  Masah advances, resolve as firm as marble.

  There’s gotta be— Ice! Now’s the time to find out if that story is really true. I fire a round of ice bullets at her. She dodges the first. The second. The third hits her in the chest. Her motions slow considerably. Then she stops altogether.

  My heart leaps. Yes! The story is real! I run past her and escape back the way I first came.

  An unearthly screech rattles the halls. Furious footsteps follow.

  Uh-oh.

  Bursting into the next corridor, I leap over a toppled ox mech. Moments later, I hear a bzzrt!

  I look over my shoulder.

  A spear of lightning attacks the mech I just jumped over. It explodes into flames. The heat razes my skin.

  Stomach clenching in, I shift into my fox form and hurtle down the hall as fast as I can. I turn down another hall and stumble into the next corridor.

  A rain of heat blazes behind me. White light glows on the tile.

  Faster! My legs burn, but I push harder. Faster!

  Lightning whizzes close to my flank. I veer around another mech. It explodes. The tang of smoke, oil, and burning stings my nose. Flames throw themselves against the walls in desperation. The whole world becomes a hot cage. It feel like she’s trying to burn us both alive.

  Fire fills my lungs. Quakes rattle my muscles.

  I careen around the corner. A hanging sign blurs past. I dash into a dark room. I bash my shoulder against a chair. I fit myself in a cramped alcove behind a working desk. Heart ramming my bones. Paws shaking under my chin.

  Quiet.

  I sit in the stillness a long time.

  CRAAAAAAAAASH!

  Uh-oh.

  CRAAAAAAAAAASH!

  A lone glass shard spins into my sight.

  Stools topple. Metal clangs.

  My ears ring. All my spine is prickling.

  Heels click on tile.

  Stop. Just stop. Please, Megumi. Masah. Whatever the hell you want to call yourself now.

  All of a sudden, the whole desk rises.

  Masah stands above me, amber eyes somber as she holds the desk high above her with only one arm as if it’s lighter than a teacup. “If you give in, I’ll try not to make it hurt.”

  I bolt into the hall. I feel air as the desk slams down and misses me. What do I do? I can’t run forever! I can’t bring her outside. Fight her? How could I? What if I hurt her? What if I kill her by mistake? I skid to a halt, shifting into human form. Maybe…

  Maybe I can release her? Didn’t Mai say that I can do that?

  A streak of lightning comes toward me. I dodge. It hits another mech. It explodes.

  I raise my shield but the blast still knocks me off my feet. I skid across the floor, ears ringing. And so does my gun blade.

  Smoke billows thickly. But then a powerful gust clears it. Masah remains. Her cloak wings fall back down.

  “No more running, please,” Masah says. “There is no honor is this kind of fighting. I’d rather you die doing your best.”

  And there was honor before I started running? I cough. I force myself to my feet. “Alright, we’ll do it your way.”

  Masah stretches out her hands, palms filling with even more lightning.

  I mirror her, digging my heels into the ground.

  She thrusts her arms out, and the lightning shoots toward me in a stream.

  I unleash my own light.

  Her power rattles my body to the core, pushing me back an inch. Our beams don’t match up evenly. Her sparks almost touch my hands.

  Sweat rolls my face. She's going to kill me.

  No.

  Energy swirls inside of me. I push forward with everything that I have.

  My light cleaves Masah’s lightning. With a roar, it completely overtakes her.

  Emotions flood into and memories flood into me. They're memories that we all shared. All of Megumi’s memories.

  Megumi, you’re in here. I know it.

  My vision plunges into darkness. And I feel a strong repulsion from ahead. I push harder in.

  There’s a light coming closer. Taking shape. A hand reaching back to me. Megumi’s terrified face forms.

  “Jun!”

  Megumi! It’s her! She’s not dead!

  Without warning, a strong repulsion repulsion thrusts us both back before we can make contact. I’m jolted out of Masah’s spirit.

  Boom!

  Fire, sparks, and smoke fly toward.

  The explosion pushes me into a door.

  There's a sharp beep, and the I fly out into the open air and onto a bed of asphalt. Stars flood my vision.

  The door belches thick black smog. A strange quietude fills the air.

  I rise first, dirt and grime smeared across my skin.

  Up above, a sharp
scree tears into the sky.

  Rising from the ashes like a phoenix in a fairytale, a vermilion bird shoots into the night sky with lightning flashing from its wings.

  “Bish, wake up. We’re here.”

  I crack an eye open unwillingly. Mai’s white house sits outside the window. I move my arm for the seatbelt. Sharp ache stabs through my limbs. My Hound genes feel like they aren’t doing anything to help. Vampire and Pan have to help me out of the car.

  Tiff answers the door. Her eyes go wide. “What on earth happened?”

  “You don’t want to know,” Vampire says flatly.

  “Is there a bed we can lay her in?” Pan asks.

  “There’s an empty one upstairs,” Tiff says.

  Tamotsu comes down the stairs, a plate of empty food in his hands. He sets it on the counter and holds out his arms. “I can carry her.”

  Vampire and Pan hand me over. Tamotsu lifts me as easily, holding me like a newborn baby. “You’re way too much like Mai these days, you know that?”

  I close my eyes, too tired to respond. Sleep crashes hard on me as soon as he puts me in bed.

  I wake precisely at dawn, and with Genji’s warm body next to me, turned the other way. Where the hell have you been? But I don’t let the thought stay long. After all, I’m just as guilty for disappearing all the time. And unlike me, Genji is actually still a Showgun. I linger in bed, next to him, not wanting to get up, but torn by the inexplicable need to see Mai.

  I slip out of bed as quietly as possible to not disturb Genji.

  Outside, the door to the other room is slightly ajar. My heart thuds softly against my ribs. No more avoiding it. I poke my head in.

  Mauve dawn rays seem to touch everything in the room except for Mai, as if it can’t. Or if afraid. Mai has her eyes closed, hands folded in her lap, and looking completely at ease in the darkness. Which makes me wonder, if I’m the setting sun, and Amaterasu is the rising sun, then what is Mai exactly?

  Without opening an eye, Mai says, “You should close the door, if you’re coming in.”

  My heart jolts at the sound of her voice. I come in and press the door shut. “When did you get up?”

  “At dawn. Probably the same time as you.” She yawns. Then she opens an eye, “Is it safe to assume that Ama kicked your ass in limbo?”

  I sit in the foldable chair next to her bed. “That’s one way of putting it, but yes, I passed the trial. It wasn’t as bad as I thought.”

  The edges of Mai’s lips perk in a smile. She doesn’t say anything for a while, then her smile melts a little. “What about the man who killed Hikari? Do you know what he looks like?”

  I run a hand through my hair. “He looked like a monk. Like someone who lives at a temple.”

  “Huh. A spiritual man.”

  “I wasn’t expecting it either.”

  She gives a nonchalant shrug and opens both of her eyes. “I doubt the ones we’ve killed were expecting a twenty-year old. Or a mother of a son.” She lingers on the word ‘son’. I can’t tell if she means it literally, or if she means ‘sun’. Mai’s face is blank and isn’t helping me interpret it.

  We sit there quietly. And every second, my stomach coils more and more, wondering if she’s going to address the obvious or if I should.

  I fold my own hands together, glancing briefly at the light encroaching through the window. Then I look back at her and open my mouth to speak.

  “I’m ready.” Mai blinks a few times and swallows with some visible strain. “But there are some things that you should know before your trial. First, the other lives.”

  My shoulders lighten, relieved that she spoke first. “What about them?”

  “I want to warn you. That although Ama and I are willing, not every life will want to give in willingly. Our spirits might be your birthright, but not every life vessel is conscious of what they have in them. Some might refuse. Others might even attack or betray you,” Mai says. “Also, not all of them are female. That’s a big one.”

  I blink. “Really?”

  Mai chuckles. “Ama likes to experiment and not take too much seriously. You probably picked that up in your trial with her.”

  Oh yes. I’ll never forget that “:)”. “Please tell me, your trial won’t be like hers.”

  “Depends on what I like in your memories, Jun. But if it’s any consolation or disappointment, the personality of the life you’re absorbing plays a big part in what the trial will be like.” Her gaze flicks up to the ceiling as if she’s trying to read something. “Now as for where the lives are, listen very carefully…”

  “Wait a minute.” I look around and grab a notepad and pen from Genji’s wooden desk.

  “There’s one in a forest, one from the Tohen Islands, one in a famous theater, one in Pua’alowhe, one from a kingdom on the brink of war, and one bound to the fabric of time.”

  At the end of that, I lay the pen down and raise an eyebrow at her, searching her face for evidence of a joke. “Are you serious?”

  Mai gives me a steely glare. “You think I would joke with you like that?”

  I purse my lips. “No, but it just sounds so…I don’t know, like a video game or something. I can’t get any pictures of them or something? Or names?”

  Mai shakes her head. “Names are useless. We’re all Amaterasu to each other. Not to mention that it’s rare for us lives to meet in person. Ama and I are the exception, not the rule. But when we’re fragmented like this we only have a vague sense of where the others are. I imagine it’ll get stronger as you absorb more of us.”

  I sigh. “The devil is in the details.”

  “Also, you aren’t alone in this,” Mai says. “If you can, I’d suggest finding the Four Benevolent Beasts: the Vermilion Bird, the White Tiger, the Azure Dragon, and the Black Tortoise.”

  “The Vermilion Bird?” I echo.

  “Yes. What about it?”

  “…Nothing.”

  Mai eyes me, but then says, “They’ll assist you if you need it.”

  I pick up the pen, doodling her last words. “Anything else?”

  “Well…” Mai squints at her lap. “You have my blessing.”

  “Blessing?”

  “You and Genji.”

  My face heats up. “He told you?”

  Mai gives me an incredulous look. “Told me? Your scents are all over each other.” She wrinkles her nose for emphasis. “But I did heckle him over it. I’m glad he picked you. I was never fond of the other hoes he brought home.”

  I stifle laughter. “Nothing less than a goddess will do?”

  Another smile edges around her lips. “You were already a daughter to me. This just makes it official.”

  “Don’t hold your breath. I don’t know if we’re going all the way. I just broke my engagement.”

  Mai crosses her fingers. “Let a mother hope, dammit.”

  I roll my eyes. “Any other requests?”

  Mai’s face scrunches in thought. “Just one.” She holds out her hand. “Here.”

  I clasp her hand.

  She holds my gaze and tightens her hold. “Promise me that you won’t let go until I’m all the way gone. Alright?”

  A bulb of thickness swells in my throat. “I promise.”

  Mai closes her eyes and takes a resolute breath. “Are you ready? There’s no going back once we’ve started. Now would be the perfect time to take that piss if you need it.”

  “No. I’m fine.”

  “Is there anything last minute that you want me to know?”

  A part of me wonders if she’s doing all of this to delay the inevitable. All the questions, all the information… I can’t say I blame her. Death is right here holding her hand in the form of the very assassin she helped teach and raise. I can feel her hand shaking in my grip. How badly she doesn’t want to die.

  “I love you. You’re irreplaceable to me.” My voice chokes a little. “And the greatest woman I’ve ever known.”

  She shuts her eyes. “I love you too.”<
br />
  The room slowly dissolves around us just it did in Amaterasu’s room. And a reel of my memories wheel around us both. Mai’s body crumbles into a bright red light. And everything around us both is drowned out in a sea of bright red.

  “The trial of judgment begins.”

  I’m on the doorsteps to Tammy’s house again. I press my finger to the keypad just like last time. But when I step through, it’s not Tammy’s living room that greets me.

  It’s the grayed out living room of my old house. Mom sits at the piano. A younger version of me sits at the table, fiddling with the Ise puzzle box. Dad is on the couch, focused on his laptop. Mai sits at the table, mouth frozen mid-conversation. Duke sits at her feet, leaning forward in interest at what my younger self is doing.

  I materialize my gun blade. Just in case. Though…if Mai’s words about personality factoring in are true, I probably won’t be sneak-attacked. Mai isn’t the type of person to try anything underhanded or anything crazy that I wouldn’t expect. Once again, the pathway up the stairs is still colored.

  I trek up the stairs with compulsive looks behind me and my weapon at the ready.

  This time it’s not my room that’s the one in color. It’s my mother’s. There’s a wooden plaque on it, but it doesn’t have any words on it.

  No hints? Should I be relieved? I push it open.

  But instead of Mom’s room, I enter into the first floor of PoleControl’s headquarters. Or rather…

  A very huge version of the first floor. One of these pillars could easily be as huge as the original PoleControl building itself. The corner plants are practically Amazon rainforests. The lobby is crowded full of people, all of them frozen.

  Well, a fight looks like it’s out of the question here. But what do I do? Is there a mirror somewhere? I grab onto the edge of a pillar base and pull myself up to get a better look.

  The mirror is all the way on the other side, right in front of the fountain.

  Looks simple enough. I climb down from the pillar.

  As soon as I do, the frozen people in the lobby come to life. A sea of pants legs, dress shoes, and high heels flood my vision.

  Adrenaline kicks into my veins. I dash to avoid a pair of brilliant red pumps, veer away from sneakers.

  Caramel boots thump the ground in front of me. The ground shakes with the force their steps.