[accidental video]
[Tanyuu lies on her back in a dimly lit, seemingly large traditional Japanese room, her head on a small cylindrical pillow and with a coverlet drawn up to her shoulders. Her breath is the even cadence of somebody deep in sleep.]
[She stands. Not with the aid of canes, on her own. She takes a step forward with her right leg, and while it is weak, it moves at her command.
But what she stands in is empty. Everything is dead.
The grass is brittle under her sandals, a darker brown than it should be. No insects or small animals move amongst it, though from somewhere, there is a rotten smell, indicating the fate of the small mammals which used to call this grassland home. There are no birds in the sky. Not even the wind is alive. She knows that the house is behind her and, somewhere in it Tama's body. Somewhere in the lands that lay before her Kumado's body probably lies. Even Ginko's.
She failed. She couldn't contain the forbidden mushi at all. She is worthless. Was worthless. Will be worthless, unable to bind it, unable to protect any life.
And now, unable to stand, as she falls down in a heap and sobs. Or screams. She's not sure, and she doesn't care.
She feels the presence of something behind her, something vast, or vastly powerful, something destructive and wrong. She doesn't want to turn around, but still she begins to-]
[Her eyes snap open, a horrified expression on her face, and she almost screams- but turns it into a gasp for air instead. She lies there for a few moments, steadying her breathing. Then she sits up, drawing her left leg to herself, resting her head in one hand.]
Not again...
[It's been a while since her last nightmare. But she's not surprised by the return. She sighs and throws the coverlet off herself. It's useless trying to get back to sleep for now. She twists herself towards the camera and uses her arms to pull herself forward. The reason for this is her right leg, which lies motionless. The part of it that can be seen beneath her white kimono is ink black.
She reaches for something off to the left of the camera, but pauses, looking directly at the camera. She gives a small frown.]
I thought I closed that.
[She stands. Not with the aid of canes, on her own. She takes a step forward with her right leg, and while it is weak, it moves at her command.
But what she stands in is empty. Everything is dead.
The grass is brittle under her sandals, a darker brown than it should be. No insects or small animals move amongst it, though from somewhere, there is a rotten smell, indicating the fate of the small mammals which used to call this grassland home. There are no birds in the sky. Not even the wind is alive. She knows that the house is behind her and, somewhere in it Tama's body. Somewhere in the lands that lay before her Kumado's body probably lies. Even Ginko's.
She failed. She couldn't contain the forbidden mushi at all. She is worthless. Was worthless. Will be worthless, unable to bind it, unable to protect any life.
And now, unable to stand, as she falls down in a heap and sobs. Or screams. She's not sure, and she doesn't care.
She feels the presence of something behind her, something vast, or vastly powerful, something destructive and wrong. She doesn't want to turn around, but still she begins to-]
[Her eyes snap open, a horrified expression on her face, and she almost screams- but turns it into a gasp for air instead. She lies there for a few moments, steadying her breathing. Then she sits up, drawing her left leg to herself, resting her head in one hand.]
Not again...
[It's been a while since her last nightmare. But she's not surprised by the return. She sighs and throws the coverlet off herself. It's useless trying to get back to sleep for now. She twists herself towards the camera and uses her arms to pull herself forward. The reason for this is her right leg, which lies motionless. The part of it that can be seen beneath her white kimono is ink black.
She reaches for something off to the left of the camera, but pauses, looking directly at the camera. She gives a small frown.]
I thought I closed that.