Shilo's Visions
[timeline: sometime during Otherworld 5: The Wolves]
Shilo was in his room, sitting in the darkness as he tended to do. Brooding. He knew that it was wrong to be like this but he couldn't help it. Even though the Princess' binding helped stop the pain, nothing would stop the memories. And the feeling that when the Princess was not with him, he was alone. Terribly alone.
And he had felt like that most of his life.
He had be able to get over the pain of watching his mother murdered in front of his eyes and of his terrible kidnapping by Naraku, but when Chaal died …. It was too much too bear. His heart would never mend. And if it weren't for the Princess' kindness, he would have walked into the sun searching for an end to his pain in death. Death was so much a part of his life, that it seemed like an old friend. Friend? No, that was not the word for the cruelties. that death had brought him.
He tried to meditate, to empty the bitter thoughts from his head, but nothing worked. They filled his mind -- and his heart.
Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, Shilo thought he saw something. He turned, but nothing was there. Tricks of light -- nothing more. But each time he returned to his meditation, he saw it again. Finally he stood up and said aloud, "If you are there, please show yourself."
A shadow seemed to pull away from the corner of the room and then formed into a young woman. She stood there mute, staring at Shilo.
"Oh, gods! A ghost!!" Shilo whispered, alarmed and intrigued at the same time.
"Help me." Came a voice that was just a whisper of the air itself.
"How? What can I do?" Shilo said, his fear gone and only his curiosity left.
"Help me." The ghost repeated. Then she vanished.
Shilo stood there and then ran out of his room to the North Tower. Bakura would know what to do. He burst into the room and Bakura almost dropped the potion he was working on.
"Shilo?" Bakura looked at his brother-in-binding, more surprised by the flush to the young man's face that anything. No emotion ever seemed to pass across Shilo's face except for sadness.
"I saw a ghost!"
"You mean a spirit? Where? Who?" Bakura asked. Spirits were nothing new to him; he was a mage that walked in both the living world and the spirit world and saw many things that others might find strange.
"In my room. She was a young woman. She asked for my help." Shilo told him, his eyes bright with excitement. "We have to help her!"
"Let's go to your room and I will see if I can make contact with her."
"I wonder why she came to me? She looked so sad."
"She probably felt a similar soul and was drawn to you because of it." Bakura said rather bluntly, but completely without malice. He was just used to saying exactly what was on his mind.
Shilo blushed and lowered his head. "My sadness drew her…"
"Something like that." The pair had reached Shilo's bedroom and Bakura opened the door. He shivered slightly. "She is still here. I can sense her."
And the moment they both were in the room, the girl reappeared. Her eyes were empty of emotion but her posture was drawn in, as if protecting herself. She gave off an aura of sadness, just like Shilo did.
"Will you speak to me?" Bakura asked quietly.
"Help me." Came the soft voice.
"How can I help you?"
She pointed to the balcony and then moved out there, not really walking, but somehow moving through space. Bakura and Shilo joined her on the balcony. The moon was high and its light filtered through her, making her transparent. She pointed again, this time to the hills beyond the Castle. "Find me."
"How far to the east do we go?"
"To the green village." Then she vanished.
"What green village?" Shilo asked the mage. "Have you ever heard of one?"
"No, but we will find it. Let's go with first light. And we will bring Kamui with us. Perhaps he can see with his sonar what we cannot with our eyes." Bakura told him. "I'll will be ready. And I doubt if I am going to get any sleep tonight." Shilo admitted.
"You can't be afraid of her. There was no malice in her at all."
"No, not afraid, just excited. I can't wait for our adventure!"
Bakura smiled. Shilo needed more adventures! Many more!
At dawn, the three demons gathered for a quick breakfast before leaving. Bakura had apprised Kamui of the situation and he too was fascinated by the prospect of helping a ghost.
Three horses were ready for them, and they mounted. The horse shied away from Shilo, smelling the blood that he had just eaten, until Shilo laid a gentle hand on his neck and spoke in his quiet voice. The horse whinnied softly and then nuzzled the Blood Demon.
Soon they were on the road, going due east. Half a day passed and they passed through many farms and two villages, but none looked green to them. And when they asked, no one had ever heard of a green village.
More hours went by and soon the travelers began to grow weary.
"Maybe we are on a wild goose chase." Kamui commented. "A spirit has no idea of space or time. We could be traveling for days before we find something -- if we ever do."
"We owe it to her to go at least a little farther." Shilo said.
Bakura unfolded his map, "There is a village a little further ahead. We will stop there for the night and in the morning we can decide whether to turn back or go forward."
In less than an hour, they arrived in the village. The elder rushed out to greet them. "Lord Bakura! Lord Shilo! Lord Kamui! Welcome to this humble village! I am Alor, the village elder. How can I serve you?"
"We need a place to spend the night - perhaps an inn?" Kamui said.
"Not an inn, my Lords! I would not hear of it! My home is the best in the village and I hope you will accept its hospitality."
"We would be in your debt." Kamui said formally.
"No, we are already in yours. Especially the great mage, Lord Bakura, who protects us every day with his magic." Alor bowed.
The three followed Alor to his home and dismounted. Boys came immediately to take the horse and stable them. The home was not grand, but it was comfortable. The men would share Alor's room and sleeping beds were placed on the floor for them. After cleaning off the dust of the road, the three went to the main hall where dinner was being served.
"Tell me, Alor. Have you ever heard of a green village?"
"Green village? No…." Then he thought of something. "Wait!! There is an old ruin about a hour's ride east. It was once a village many years ago. Now green grass covers it and only a few of its ruined walls are visible. I have no idea what it's name was. Perhaps this is the village you seek?"
"It might very well be!" Shilo exclaimed. "We will check it out in the morning."
Alor insisted on guiding them to the ruins. And after an hour's ride, as predicted, they reached several grass covered mounds. Years ago, a farmer looking to plant more crops had excavated part of a mound and the buried village had been discovered. Edges of broken walls reached out from the mud and dirt, but the most of the village was still buried deep in the ground.
Kamui stood on the ruins and looked down, seeing the buried city with his sonar. "It is all through this area. The taller buildings are under the mounds, but the houses are under the land itself."
"I wonder how old it is." Shilo mused.
"It might be very old. Perhaps even when the worlds were one." Bakura replied.
"The sky got dark and I hear chanting." Came a soft voice. And the girl's spirit appeared, just a faint ripple in the air. "Then I died."
"Chanting?" Bakura looked around. "Then this must be the work of a mage. Perhaps the elders angered a mage and he destroyed the village. In those days, mages did as they pleased and there was no one to stop them."
"Like Ryuko-Ashi?" Kamui asked.
"Yes, but no where near his power."
Shilo turned to the girl. "Now that we have found your village, can you find peace?"
"It was my fault."
"What? How?"
"The mage desired me and I refused his advances. So he destroyed my village and cursed my spirit. I will never find peace. I will never cross over. I am trapped between this world and the next."
Shilo turned to Bakura. "Can you help her?"
"I don't know. I would have to do some research." Bakura said, then turned to the girl. "Will you return with us?"
"I have no where else to go."
"You will be welcome in the Castle until Bakura can find a way to break your curse." Shilo said.
The girl nodded and began to vanish, returning to the Castle.
"Wait!" Shilo called. "What is your name?"
Her voice came on a breeze. "Sukei."
"Sukei." Shilo whispered. And he smiled for he was no longer alone. He knew that Sukei would always be with him. "You do have a home now. With me."
Bakura looked at his brother. "I wonder what the Princess will say when we tell her that we have a new houseguest. Albeit one that takes up no space."
"I'm sure she will welcome Sukei as she welcomes everyone else who asks for her help." Kamui stated firmly.
"I have no doubt at all." Shilo said. "Now let's go home!"