Memento Mori ~ Virtues of Fallen Petals

[Matsuri]

Okay so I've been kicking around ideas to write about for quite a while now, and it's time I set it all in motion. This will be a series of short stories, all connected by a common theme. It's also the first time I've ever written something that isn't poetry, so my apologies if it's lackluster.

Anyway, here it is.

------

Chapter I: Amaryllis belladonna

Part 1

?It feels so nice to get out once in a while,? the young lady thought. ?Certainly better than that terrible, stuffy room of mine.?

She looked up. The morning sky still had tangerine traces of sunrise along its endless canvas, and just a hint of pink laced into each cloud. The sun, steadily rising above the horizon, cast its light toward her, making the trees and buildings in between nothing more than dim, towering silhouettes. She couldn't help but smile at the pretty picture that nature had painted for her. She hadn't had much to smile about lately, so this was a gift.

Behind her was her home-- or rather, the hospital she had spent most of her life living in. She was beyond used to being stuck in there day in and day out, the all-too-familiar scent of phenols assaulting her nose and the sound of geriatrics coughing up their lives to their all but inevitable fate. Of course, she was less than fond of it, as well. Who could possibly enjoy such an atmosphere? It was depressing to be always surrounded by death and the apprehension of its approach. Being a terminal case herself, she herself had been grazed by the reaper's scythe here and there along her short timeline of existence, and those experiences definitely did not leave her unscathed.

She couldn't help but laugh a little at thinking of herself in that way.

?A terminal case, huh,? she said to herself. ?That's all I am? Do I really think that little of myself??

She was afflicted with congenital heart defects, and was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy at ten years old, after collapsing at school one day. Such a disease is unpredictable in so many ways. She could die anytime, after all. Her heart was deteriorating more and more every day. She was going to die, probably sooner than later.

At the very least, she wasn't always stuck in such a dreary environment. She was allowed to leave her room every so often to spend some time admiring the hospital's garden.

The May wind flowed along the landscape, causing the sunlight to sparkle and dance through the fluttering leaves of the trees around her. Her long, naturally-white hair blew into her face, and she gently brushed it aside, admiring it a little as she did. She had always been fond of her hair, despite being picked on by the children at school so long ago, calling her an old lady and such.

At the very least, she didn't have to worry about that anymore. She hadn't been to school since she was little. Instead, Kamishirasawa-sensei came to the hospital once every week for private lessons. In fact, according to her teacher, she was almost ready to graduate.

That meant absolutely nothing to her.

She was just a few weeks past her eighteenth birthday. Most people would be delighted to graduate, but she really wasn't. At eighteen, her life was just beginning-- or rather, it should have been. Most of the kids she used to know were going to start searching for their place in life-- establishing connections with other people, falling in love, getting married, working a nine-to-five to support a family, enjoying life with the lucky hands fate had dealt them. Instead, she looked at it with indifference. She didn't have much time left, anyway.

She had come to terms with her mortality long ago, but it was understandable that she was bitter about it every so often. She wasn't afraid to die. Why should she be? Her life was utterly unfulfilling, being stuck in the hospital ever since she was just a kid. She didn't have any friends, not that she really cared all that much. She didn't want to have to say goodbye to anyone, anyway. She didn't want to leave anyone behind. She didn't want to make anyone sad when she died. As a child, her only friends were the older patients that would talk to from time to time, and she had gotten close to some of them... well, until they died and left her behind. After having her fragile heart broken a few times, she wised up a bit and decided that she'd never get too close to anyone ever again-- for their sake and her own. No one deserved to be tormented with that sort of pain, no matter how unavoidable it was. She still did her best, however.

Her lack of friends aside, she still looked at her life with a pessimistic scowl. She had no legacy to leave behind. When she was very little, she already had plans to make something of herself. She didn't know exactly what she wanted to do, but it was better than not wanting to do anything, right?

She had set all of that aside, however.

?Amaryllis!? a voice called. ?It's time to come back in!?

The white-haired girl looked back at the hospital to see her doctor waving at her.

?Ami, you've been out long enough! Come on!?

?Ugh-- I'm coming, I'm coming,? Amaryllis-- more fondly known as Ami-- responded. This precious time just never lasted long enough for her.

She reached up from her wheelchair and plucked a leaf from a low branch. She twirled it around in her fingers a bit, before allowing it to be picked up by an oncoming breeze. She watched it flutter away, eventually vanishing from her sight.

?What lives has to die sometime. My time's just coming quicker than others. Nothing I can really do about that.?

She then turned around and wheeled her way back to her room.

?

As she got back into her bed, she was greeted again by the doctor who called her in earlier. She was carrying a tray of breakfast and Ami's daily rounds of ACE inhibitors and beta blockers. This was never a time Ami looked forward to, due to the adverse effects of the medication.

She looked up at the doctor, who was wearing that ridiculous dress, as usual. Half red, half blue on top, which alternated from her waistline down. It had constellations embroidered all over it, and there were trigrams along the hemline. Who in their right mind would wear such a thing? Ami had always wondered.

?I'm just going to die, so why should I bother with all of this?? she grumbled.

The doctor looked down and frowned.

?Oh, dear,? she said with a sigh. ?This sort of mood again, huh??

?Yeah, afraid so.?

?Look. We're all going to die one day. Yes, your time will be before many. But for now, you are alive. Cherish that. Not many people with your condition last anywhere near as long as you have.?

?That really doesn't help, Dr. Yagokoro. Not in the least, actually.?

?Maybe not. I'm sorry. Please forgive me,? Eirin Yagokoro said sadly. ?I'll be back later.?

The flustered doctor turned around and walked out of the room to tend to other patients. While having genius-level intelligence, especially in the field of pharmacology, she still lacked basic common sense from time to time. Much to the misfortune of everyone around her, she seemed to be blissfully unaware of that fact.

Ami looked down at her breakfast, with tears slowly welling in her light blue eyes. She didn't have any appetite. Shoving the food aside, she grabbed her pills and quickly swallowed them, before she had the urge to hesitate.

Laying back on her bed, she twirled her hair around her finger. It had always been a nervous habit of hers, but since she liked her hair, she didn't really mind. In fact, she liked playing with her hair, and she liked it when other people did, as well, given she liked them enough. Unfortunately, those people were few and far between, especially since she had withdrawn herself from others. Yagokoro and Kamishirasawa were the only people she really talked to these days, after all.

?How can she be so insensitive?? the girl murmured. ?What on earth do I have to cherish??

And with that, she drifted off to sleep.

?

Around 1:00 PM, she woke up.

Her condition left her absolutely drained most of the time, so she never really had any energy. Morning naps after her time in the garden were normal for her, so she could hopefully spend the rest of the evening awake for whatever she could do to keep her mind stimulated.

It wasn't as if she had nothing to do in her room. Her teacher brought her countless books to read, and that was Ami's method of escape, whenever she so desired it. In a way, she lived vicariously through reading. It wasn't like she could do many of the things she read about in real life, after all. It always left a bitter taste in her mouth, but she had to admit that it was better than staring at the wall all day long. She supposed that allowing her imagination to run wild, placing herself in the shoes of characters she read about was the best she could do, if only to get away from herself for a while.

She still didn't have any appetite, thanks to what Dr. Yagokoro said before she fell asleep. To add to her frustration, she had to admit that she was hungry, but she just had no desire to eat. She glanced at the tray she rejected earlier, and sighed. Regardless of how she felt, she knew that she couldn't just not eat, or else she'd have even less energy to work with. With a look of slight resentment, she grabbed a cold piece of toast from the plate and nibbled on it. Dr. Yagokoro wouldn't be in with lunch for a little while still used to the fact that Ami took a nap every morning, she brought lunch to her a little later than she did her other patients-- and would probably be upset to see the breakfast left untouched. At least this way, she could avoid getting lectured on the importance of taking care of oneself.

She couldn't help but keep hearing what Dr. Yagokoro had told her. Why was life supposed to be so significant when she couldn't do anything with it? Was there something she was missing? Of course not. She had accepted her fate long ago. All that she had to do was wait until the end. That's all there was to it.

?...and I'm fine with that,? she grumbled, eating the last piece of what was now less-than appetizing toast.

The afternoon rolled along, as if it were any other. Dr. Yagokoro returned to Ami's room with lunch a short while after she finished her cold breakfast. Ami picked at the lunch a little, eating small bites here and there, if not only to mollify her worried caretaker. She spent the rest of the day reading, placing herself between the lines of every page, wishing so very dearly that she could do the things that the heroes and heroines did in their stories. After finishing a chapter, she marked her place with a bookmark and closed the book. She sighed. As much as she enjoyed escaping, it always left her feeling even worse when she came back to reality. Why did she have to be trapped in such a useless, fragile body? Why did she have to watch the world pass her by like this? It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. As much as she hated admitting it, she was jealous. She wanted to live a long, prosperous life, where she would succeed in her endeavors and follow her dreams. She wanted to make a difference in the world. She wanted to make people happy. She wanted to see people smile. She wanted to smile. She wanted to be like everyone else. She wanted to fall in love one day, and possibly get married. She wanted to be remembered after she was gone. She wanted not to be immortal, but to be immortalized in the hearts and minds of the people she left behind. It wasn't too much to ask for, was it? Was it?! What did she do wrong? What purpose could she possibly have, stuck in a hospital bed almost all day long, and no energy for much more than short trips through the garden each morning? What did life have against her? Was she being selfish? Maybe she was. Such a notion even made her feel worse.

Ami was trembling, with a deathgrip on her bedsheets with one hand, and the fingers of her other hand tangled in her white locks of hair. Her eyes were burning as if her tears were a potent acid, and her sheets were stained and soaked. She felt her heart pounding in her ears, and her head was throbbing. Her chest felt like it was about to explode. Dizzy and disoriented, she fell back onto her pillow.

The pain in her chest was the last thing she remembered before the world around her faded to black, and she passed out.

?

The next thing Ami saw was the terrified face of her doctor, who had found her in such a state and resuscitated her. Dr. Yagokoro smiled and sighed, relieved, after seeing her eyes fully open.

?I'm not ready to say goodbye to you yet, dear,? Eirin whispered, holding Ami close.

After making sure Ami's vitals were stable and lecturing her on managing her stress, Yagokoro left Ami to recuperate as she went to tend to other patients.

All she could feel was pain-- absolute, unbreakable misery. Was this all she had left? She thought about her parents-- her mother, who died when she was just a small child, and her father, who was drank himself to an early grave soon after, from the despair that followed his wife's death. What would they think of her, their daughter, who had accomplished nothing in life, and given up on everything?

She didn't even want to think about it. She hated the notion of upsetting others. What she wanted was something-- anything that she could give for another chance. Of course, she knew that wasn't possible. She laughed at herself for even thinking about it. Still, she couldn't help but wish.

A flash of lightning and the roar of thunder brought her back to reality. It had started to rain outside. Ami stared as the cumulonimbus teardrops pelted her window, as if the atmosphere were showing their sympathy for her. She laughed yet again at how silly her thoughts were.

?I must be losing my mind.?

Deciding that there was nothing else to do, she ate a little of the dinner Yagokoro left for her, and laid back down in an attempt to sleep some more, trying to ignore the intense pain in her chest. She twirled her hair around her finger for a while, stretched, and closed her eyes.

?

The rain continued into the morning, which meant she wasn't able to do the one thing she actually enjoyed from day to day-- that is to say, to go out in the garden and enjoy nature while she could. It was her transient moment of independence, and that made it all the more difficult to let go of. But, what choice did she have?

Ami looked at the stack of books sitting next to her, and picked one up. She opened it, read a sentence, and set it aside again. Maybe she was bored with that one? She picked up a new book, looked at the cover, and returned it to the table. For some reason, escaping just didn't appeal to her right now.

Dr. Yagokoro must have brought her breakfast in while she was still asleep, but that didn't appeal to her, either. She had no appetite-- in fact, one could say she had a negative appetite. She felt like throwing up, despite having no food in her system at all. She pushed the tray away, not even caring about the medicine that was also there.

She laid back in her bed and stared at the ceiling. She had never felt this physically, mentally, and emotionally drained before, despite all she had been through. This was it. She had nothing left at this point. She had never felt so useless before in her life. She counted the ceiling tiles until she fell asleep.

A few hours later, Dr. Yagokoro came in to check on her. Noticing the untouched food and medicine, she prepared to lecture the stubborn girl, until she saw her. Unable to sleep any more, unable to think properly, unable to eat, unable to read, unable to feel, Ami simply existed. Her eyes were wide and fixed on the ceiling, yet completely unfocused on anything. There was no life in her eyes-- just a blank stare.

?Ami.?

No response. Not even a glance, a twitch, or a sound.

?Hey, Ami. Wake up.?

Nothing.

Eirin's voice became unstable with fear.

?C-come on now, talk to me. I know you're there...?

That was a lie, of course. There was no telling if she could actually respond, or if she simply did not want to, or did not have the drive to. Were her words falling on unlistening ears?

Eirin touched Ami's hand and called her again. Nothing.

She squeezed her hand. Nothing.

Feeling slightly guilty, she pinched and prodded Ami all over, looking for a response to painful stimuli. She did respond to that much, though involuntarily so.

The doctor stared wistfully at the girl. This was someone who had given up. There wasn't anything she could do to help, aside from make sure her vitals remained stable. She would just have to wait and see if Ami would come to of her own volition.

Defeated, Dr. Yagokoro left the room, not only to continue doing her job, but because she couldn't bear to look at the poor girl.

The rain continued its staccato percussion on the window, showing no sign of stopping.

?

Ami floated along in her mind, unaware of her surroundings. It was almost as if she was lying on the surface of the ocean, as if each feeling were a wave that tossed her around. She looked up at the night sky that her mind painted for her. She saw each and every star as if they were the dreams and desires she had for the future. Always within her sight, but far, far out of her grasp. Suddenly, clouds began to form, obscuring the stars from her sight. The clouds poured rain on her, one drop for every thought she had at the moment-- short, but intense to the point that it was painful. On the outside, she felt nothing. On the inside, it was as if each thought she had was a nail being driven into her flesh.

As if she could no longer take tormenting herself on the inside, she snapped back to reality. Looking around, she saw that it was nighttime, and that the rain had finally abated. Looking down, she noticed Dr. Yagokoro asleep by her side, her head rested on the bed.

Ami felt the pain in her chest and the emptiness in her stomach return to her. Near-starving, she grabbed the cold breakfast and started eating it as fast as she could, choking in the process. The noise caused Yagokoro to wake up.

Eirin sat straight up and helped Ami swallow, then hugged her.

?I knew you'd come back sooner or later.?

Ami looked at her, eyes still blank and emotionless.

?...it hurts.?

?I know it does. Just hang in there.?

?I'm tired.?

?Then please rest.?

Dr. Yagokoro urged Ami to take her medicine, then she fluffed her pillow and prompted her to lay back. Eirin knew that she didn't have much time left to live. Even less, now that her patient had given up on living. Refusing to do anything, she would only get weaker and weaker.

This went on for about a week.

Ami hadn't been out of bed in eight days. She hadn't really moved at all. She had no drive for anything. She felt the pain in her chest becoming more and more intense with each passing hour. She refused to take any medicine.

Dr. Yagokoro watched helplessly as Ami closed her eyes for the last time. Her pulse slowed down steadily. Eirin watched the peaks of the ECG become smaller and smaller.

Asystole.

?Farewell, Amaryllis.?

?

The sound of flowing water. The feeling of motion.

The girl opened her eyes to find herself on a ferry on a river, surrounded by dense fog. Before her stood a tall woman in a blue dress, with shoulder-length red hair, tied up with two ponytails.

Ami opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but realized that no words would come out. She could do nothing but fidget until the woman turned around and noticed her.

A cheerful voice greeted her. ?Ah, you finally came to. Nice to meet ya. The name's Komachi.?

Komachi held out her hand, and Ami reached out to take it, but noticed that her hand went right through the woman's.

?Hahaha, they always fall for it, every last one! It never gets old.?

Ami twitched in her seat, terrified. What was going on?

This was going to be a long ride.

End of Chapter I, Part 1.

---

I plan on having Part 2 finished and posted by tomorrow night. Please bear with me. :blush:

[FinnKaenbyou]

I was a little worried you were going to go for the 'Gensokyo is the fantasy of a young dying girl' storyline here.

Anyway, interested in this one. You have a really nice writing style.

[Ryuu]

I quite enjoy this.

[Sana]

Plagirism :<

Anyway this is reminding me of KnK movie 1 for some reason, except

Spoiler:

without the suicide

. :V

[Matsuri]

Erm... did I say that I'd have the second part up by tonight?

Yeah, that's not happening, I'm afraid. :fail:

I'll definitely get it up soon, though! I suppose the fact that some of you are interested is a bit of motivation.

I'll see what I can do tomorrow, when I'm not all messed up from medicine withdrawals and not busy with homework. :ohdear:

[Esifex]

Go easy into that peaceful sleep, young princess(?)

Also, Jerk Komachi is silly Komachi.

[nolrai2]

I really like this. It's interesting.

[Matsuri]

Well, here's the second part. I decided to make this three parts long, so there's still going to be more. This'll have to do for now, of course.

Part 2

Ami looked around. ?Where am I??

The thick mist enveloped them, and no matter which way Ami looked, it was all she could see. Was it day, or was it night? There was no way of telling-- nor was there any way of telling where she was, or where she was going.

?Wait a second. I... I was in the hospital, wasn't I? Is this a dream??

Ami looked at her hands. Pale, translucent, ethereal. She looked up at the woman rowing the boat. Standing up, she approached Komachi and tried to tap her on the shoulder. To Ami's horror, her hand did not stop where Komachi's shoulder began, but went straight through her.

Komachi looked down at the immaterial hand protruding through her. She turned around and saw the look on the terrified girl's face.

?Can I help you??

Ami opened her mouth to answer, but found that she was still unable to speak.

Komachi snickered at the poor girl's expense. ?I-I'm sorry-- ahahahaha-- it's just too easy! Try all ya want, but it's not gonna work, kiddo. You have other ways of communicating, don't you??

The expression on Ami's face went from fright to frustration as she tried to figure out how to communicate. Komachi stopped rowing for a moment and simply stood there as the spectral young lady resorted to playing an awkward game of charades to get her point across. Ami flailed her arms around with frantic intensity, running out of ideas. Then, it dawned on her. She held up her hands to Komachi, and silently clapped them together. She then prompted Komachi to hold up her own hand. Once she did so, Ami thrust her own hand right through it. She looked expectantly at the amused woman.

?...Are you trying to get me to dance with you or something??

Ami glared and swiped her hand through Komachi's head.

?Okay, okay! I was just kidding! Calm down. The dead really have no sense of humor, do they??

Ami froze up. ?D-did she just say... no. She didn't just say I was... dead, did she? No. No, wait. This has to be another dream. It has to be. I'm... I'm still in the hospital... right? Right?!?

She reached up and pinched herself on the cheek. Surely that would wake her up.

Komachi sat there and watched, looking like she hadn't been entertained like this in ages.

Ami pinched herself again, only harder this time.

?...I'm still here.?

She held a hand up to her chest. No heartbeat. Not only that, but it had suddenly dawned on her that her chest no longer hurt, as well. Ami slumped down onto the floor of the boat. So this was it. So she was... she was dead.

Figuring that she wasn't going to get any more amusement from the girl, Komachi spoke up.

?I-I suppose it hadn't occurred to you, yet. My apologies, kid.? She sheepishly scratched the back of her head and decided it was best to leave the poor girl alone for a while. Komachi turned around and started rowing again.

Ami sat with her knees drawn toward her chest, and buried her face in her hands. She had held it in long enough. She began crying, harder than she had ever done in that hospital room. It was at this moment that she had realized that the life she felt was wasted was now over.

?

She sat there, voicelessly wailing for what felt like hours-- or days, even. There really was no way of telling how much time had passed, or how far they had gone on the river-- the fog really did seem endless.

Ami's thoughts, however, were all but voiceless.

?So I'm dead. It's really over. What a waste of a life. I... I accomplished nothing. I spent my life being completely useless and absolutely dependent on others. I was never given the chance to do anything I dreamed of. I never got to make anyone smile. I never had my chance to smile, either.  I never got to help anyone. No one never needed me. I really was useless, wasn't I? I suppose it's a good thing I never got close to anyone. A burden like me never deserved to be close to anyone, anyway. ...Does anyone even care that I'm gone? Of course not. You can't miss what never had any value to begin with. I... I never fell in love. I never got married. I never got to do anything, at all. This is... this is it.?

Ami slumped over on the floor of the boat. She closed her eyes and wished it all away, a feat she knew to be futile, but she didn't care. She would trade anything to make everything go away. Even though she had nothing to give in exchange.

All of a sudden, a thought arose in her mind.

?Wait. If I'm dead... why am I here? Why am I still... I'm not alive, but I'm definitely still aware of what's going on around me. What's going on??

Komachi spoke again. ?We're getting closer.?

Ami looked around to see the mist dissipate, slowly but surely. She began to be able to see the faint outline of the banks of the river to the right and left. Traces of red began to appear, the more the fog went away. She still had no idea where she was going, however.

Komachi interrupted Ami's thoughts and observations. ?I may as well give you a little sound advice. A pep talk, if you will.?

Ami looked up. A pep talk? What was she going on about, now? Why was she talking to her, anyway? It's not like she could respond, anyway. It was sort of cruel. Then again... Komachi looks pretty bored. She must do this for every one in Gensokyo who dies. That had to be dull...

?I suppose the most important thing,? Komachi continued, ?is that you remain totally honest at all times. Tell no lies, and acknowledge your faults with an open heart. Trust me, this is for your own good.?

Ami stared at Komachi, perplexed. ?Honest? Who am I going to be honest with? Who am I going to see, and what are they going to do to me? I'm... I'm already dead, after all. There's not like much they can do to me, after all. And what about my faults? What have I done wrong? And if I have done wrong, hasn't my life been punishment enough? What is going on??

The hazy opacity laced along the landscape lifted even further. Ami could see the banks of the river clearly now, and the traces of red she saw earlier appeared to be tall, scarlet flowers. She was surprised at how pretty they were. Had she seen these before in the hospital garden? She couldn't help but stare with great interest.

?Ah, you've spotted the higanbana, haven't you? Glad you like them, because we've got a lot of 'em!? Komachi kept rowing, and the fog kept lifting.

After a short while longer, the river began to come to an end.

?Thank you for riding the Sanzu Express, please wait until the Titanic has come to a complete and full stop before getting off, and we hope you have a nice eternity!? Komachi happily sang as she guided the boat to the bank of the river, and gestured for Ami to step out.

?Wait a second,? Ami thought. ?Did she just say ?eternity?? This doesn't sound good, at a-- wait, ?Titanic??? She looked at the small boat that Komachi had been rowing this entire time. ?Yeah, I'm definitely losing my mind. So... ugh. What's going to happen now??

She didn't have much time to think.

?Well, come on,? the red-haired woman said, picking up a large scythe. She must not have noticed it until now, but it certainly did not help to alleviate any worries Ami had at the moment. ?We shouldn't keep her waiting.?

?K-keep who waiting? And what the hell are you doing with that scythe?!? Ami flailed her arms around again, in panic.

Komachi stopped looked back at the wildly-gesturing girl in amusement, yet again.

?Oh, this?? She twirled the scythe happily. ?Don't worry, I'm not going to use this on you. You amuse me too much.?

?That isn't much of a relief, you know.?

They walked among the higanbana for a while, which Ami would have found to be immensely enjoyable if she wasn't so terrified of what was going on around her. They really were very pretty, these flowers. At the same time, they gave her a melancholy feeling, reminding her of the life she had passed from.

?Dr. Yagokoro... I'm sorry. I never said goodbye.?

Finally, they had reached their destination.

A calm, yet firm voice pulled Ami back to attention.

?Hello, Amaryllis. Welcome to Higan.?

?

Ami turned her head away from the flowers toward the voice to find herself facing a woman in a deep blue uniform, adorned with gold decorations and red and white ribbons along her waist and hem of her skirt. Atop her dark green hair sat a fancy-looking hat. She was sitting on top of a large desk with her long, magnificent legs crossed, apparently waiting for Komachi and Ami to arri--

?You're late, Komachi.?

?Eiki-sama! Erm... forgive me, but she was just too funny, I had to stop and watch her for a while!?

The stern-looking woman just stared at Komachi.

?I'll... um... go back and ferry my next victi-- I-I mean, next soul to you.? She ran back to the so-called ?Titanic? and rowed off.

She turned back to Ami with a small smile, but with obvious irritation in her eyes.

?She's probably off to go take a nap. I'm going to have to give her yet another lecture on the importance of diligence..? she sighed. ?Regardless. I am Shikieiki Yamaxanadu, the judge of the dead-- the Supreme Judge of Hell. My job is to decide your final destination for eternity, based on the actions of your former life.?

She stood up from the desk, walked to the large chair behind it, and sat down. Ami noticed that there were two vases on the desk-- an ivory one to the left, and an onyx one to the right. Oddly enough, she noticed that there was nothing in either of them.

Shikieiki picked up a rod that was sitting on the desk and pointed it at Ami. ?Please come here,? she commanded.

Ami stood before the judge. There was something about her that made her think that even if she could speak, she'd be too awestruck to say anything-- Shikieiki just had that powerful of an appearance. Yet, at the same time, she didn't find herself scared of her, for reasons she could not understand. Could it be the tone of her voice?

The Yama picked up a rod from her desk and held it to her lips, and spoke again. ?It is now time to pass judgment on you, Amaryllis.? For someone with such a calm voice, Ami could tell that she was nothing but serious.

Okay, now she was scared. How was she going to go about doing this? Was she going to be tortured or interrogated? What if she was guilty of something? Would she be sent to hell for that? She remembered what Komachi said.

?I need to be honest and acknowledge my faults. That's all... right??

Shikieiki held up a mirror and gestured toward Ami to face it.

?This mirror reveals all of your deeds from your past life-- good and bad. With this, we shall discover where you belong.?

At that moment, the trial began.

End of Chapter I, Part 2.

---

I'll have this finished as soon as I have the time. :ohdear:

[Iced Fairy]

Hm... This is turning out nicely.

One of my writing regrets is not using Eiki enough.  I always find the way people write up her judgements as interesting.  Looking forward to the next section.

[RainfallYoshi]

 :ohdear:

What's written so far has brought tears to my eyes. I feel so bad for Ami. I really hope the judgement goes well. ;_;

[StainGlass]

I don't often read fanfiction but nice job!
I'll be waiting for the next part =)

[Ryuu]

why did it end there ffff


YOU'RE A JERK ;-;

[Tengukami]

Hm... This is turning out nicely.

One of my writing regrets is not using Eiki enough.  I always find the way people write up her judgements as interesting.  Looking forward to the next section.

Seconding this. She's a character with a lot of potential. I ought to go outside of my favorites some time.

You've really breathed life into Ami, especially in the second part, making her a character the reader has to care about. Nice work here.

[nolrai2]

wow

[Matsuri]

Just a little update: I'm not slacking off, promise! I've actually been overwhelmed with schoolwork for once, so I haven't even had time to consider slacking off, let alone actually do so.

I plan on getting straight back to work on this tomorrow night. I hope to have the third and final part to Ami's story available sometime this weekend! Bear with me, please. :blush: