Dreaming to Remember: Revelation (Fanfic 100 #73)
Title:Dreaming to Remember -Revelation
Characters: Yanagi Renji, Inui Sadaharu, Sanada Genichirou
Prompt: 073 Light
Word Count: 2,562
Rating: PG-13
Summary:
Overall: Even today, angels and demons are in a quiet war. These boys are entangled in a cycle of reincarnation, and questions from the past are now coming to light. And Yanagi Renji seems to be the center of all this.
Chapter: Inui reveals his memories, an angel messenger brings a challenge to Renji, and Sanada is shaken up by something.
Author's Notes:
My LDT found here
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I avoid your look reflecting the truth
The walk to Inui's apartment was rather quiet. The atmosphere between the two boys wasn't exactly strained, but it wasn't the most comfortable.
Taking a seat in Inui's desk chair, Renji figured that would force the other, injured boy to at least sit on his bed. Inui was too stubborn to stay down for long anyway.
Once Inui had settled down on his bed, he adjusted his glasses which sat over his mummified face. "I'm not even sure how to start with this." He admitted. "It was just too strange."
Renji's lips twisted into a small smile. "Perhaps you should start at the beginning."
Inui looked down, thinking for a moment, then he looked straight at Renji. "It was...like having a flashback that you were a part of, yet it was nothing that has actually happened in my life before." He said.
Renji frowned at that.
"It started when Kirihara started attacking me. The second time I fell over, a scene of a great war flashed through my mind." Inui continued. "Once I lost consciousness..." He trailed off. Inui shook his head. "It had to have just been a strange dream. I don't even know why I'm telling you about this."
Renji looked at him for a moment. "Will you continue? I'd like to hear about it." He said. If the dream was anything like the ones he's had for years, perhaps he wasn't the only one who remembers.
Inui was surprised, but he started telling Renji about it. "I had a close friend....I attended what seemed like an execution. After that, I barely remembered him, and another friend took his place as my closest friend." Inui frowned. Those events were sounding a bit too familiar. "Anyway...the one that remained did something, and was also..." Inui trailed off.
Renji looked down. "Were they angels?" He asked quietly, not looking up.
Inui stared at Renji. "How.....yes, they were."
"And you were one of them, correct?" Renji asked, knowing where this was going.
Inui nodded. "How do you know this?" He asked, not understand what Renji could already know about his strange dreams.
Renji remained looking down for a few moments. "I've had dreams like that for years." He finally admitted. "Even when we were children. I just didn't understand them back then." Renji finally looked up. "Now that I'm older, I'm understanding a bit more." He paused, his lips pursed into a straight line. "They're glimpses into a past life. I know neither of us is Christian or really believe in things like this, but....apparently we were angels."
Inui stared at Renji for a moment, before bowing his head down again, thinking about this.
"Living as a human means that you fell out of favor or offended God somehow." Renji said hoarsely, trying not to choke up. He composed himself before speaking again. "I know nothing of this war though. I only know what I did to become a fallen one." He said.
Inui looked thoughtful, despite the bandages hiding his face. "Other than the sights, I could tell I was feeling quite lonely. The archangels were leading the charge against these rather nasty demon creatures."
"It must have happened afterwards." Renji said quietly, thinking as he wondered what Inui's angel self had done to become a fallen one as well. And why so many of these faces from the past were gathering here right now. "Do you remember any names?" He asked, curious.
Inui shook his head. "Other than Gabriel, no." He admitted.
Just as I thought Renji thought to himself. "Will you let me know if anything else like this happens?" He asked. "I want to know the whole story, and any pieces I can get from anywhere are greatly appreciated."
Inui nodded. "Of course." He said. "I must say, I'm curious as well now, even though this sounds rather...illogical."
Renji smiled. "I think it sounds more improbable than illogical." He said, standing up. "Or perhaps both. Get some rest, Sadaharu. Would I be correct in assuming you have a slight concussion?"
"Ah." Inui nodded. "It's not a serious one though. The bandages should be off tomorrow. And if it makes you feel any better, I'm not really angry at Kirihara."
It really didn't make Renji feel any better. He should have stopped that before it got as far as it did. Renji just bowed his head to acknowledge that he had heard him, and left the apartment.
Renji arrived home as it was starting to get dark. Announcing he was home, he went to his room to gather some clean clothes for a shower since he'd been in his sweaty tennis uniform for what seemed like ages.
Being informed that dinner would be ready in a half hour, he nodded an acknowledgement and went to get cleaned up.
Dinner was simple, and the conversation wasn't much, just Renji telling his family of how things went at the finals and how the entire team was disappointed, but at least they had two wins, even though the other three matches were lost. Once dinner had been consumed, he went outside to their backyard, sitting on a patch of ground that wasn't exactly comfortable, but it suited his purpose.
It was hard to see the stars with the city lights practically blocking them out, but he didn't care as he stared up to the sky. What was it about this time, this place that all these familiar faces were returning?
Lying down on his back to continue his star gazing, he saw someone standing over him. The person looked down at him, smiling. "Something troubling you?" A female voice asked.
"Nee-san." Renji greeted. "Yes and no." He answered as his sister sat down next to him.
"So what's up?" She asked, trying to see what her brother was looking at.
Renji turned his head towards her, then turned it back to the sky. "I've been wondering something." He said, making it as vague as possible. Numbers, statistics, things that were logical were things he understood. He didn't understand the more mystical aspects of life, and this entire situation seemed to be beyond his grasp.
"What's that?" She asked, pulling her knees to her chest.
"It's going to sound weird." Renji said.
"Try me."
Renji looked over at her again, and sighed to himself. His sister would keep pushing at him until he caved in, so he might as well.
"I have memories of a past life." He said. "And several of my friends seem to be faces from that life as well. I feel like I'm the only one who remembers though. Sadaharu had a few memories return when Akaya knocked him out at the tournament. I want to know why I remember though." Renji explained.
"You're right, that was weird." She said, a small smile on her face. "But!" She continued before Renji could roll his eyes. "Perhaps there's a good reason for it. Perhaps karma has come full circle, and you've made up for the things you've done in that past life, and you'll be rewarded at the end of this one."
Renji turned his head back to her. "Do you really think so?" He asked.
She shrugged. "You can always hope so. A soul can only be reborn so many times, right?"
"What if it was a divine soul in the first place?" Renji asked.
"Then perhaps it sinned and it has finally atoned for them."
Renji frowned. "And what if the others haven't yet?"
"They just need to try harder then, won't they?" She said, standing up. "Don't stay out here all night. Actually, Mother told me to tell you to come back inside."
Renji looked annoyed, but nodded. It was starting to cool off, even though it was still summer and a bit muggy outside. "I'll be in soon." He said.
"Ne, Renji," She started. "Do you think you've done right in your life so far?" She asked, and left him to think that one over.
Renji thought about that for a second, before deciding that perhaps he should get inside before his mother got too upset with him.
Sleep was not kind to Renji that evening. Between lying awake mulling over what his sister had said to him, and the unpleasant dreams, it was difficult to catch anything resembling a peaceful sleep.
Finally just giving up on sleeping completely, he decided to get up for the day at five. It was way too early for normal people. He considered calling Sanada for a match in those early hours. Even though he knew Sanada was awake at that hour, he felt it was rude to do so.
Getting dressed in his warm-ups and grabbing his tennis bag, he walked to the nearest public court, intending to hit against the wall for a while. He got into such a rhythm that the sound of the ball hitting the wall, then the bounce on the ground, off the racket and back to the wall became a soothing noise to Renji.
Even if I've done the right things, I still end up hurting the same people over and over every time. Renji thought to himself. It's an endless cycle that never gets broken. He wanted to believe that his sister was right - karma had finally come full circle. But what if she wasn't. He'd be reborn as yet another human who would suffer, and possibly not know what happened.
The tennis ball bounced twice very close to the ground and rolled past Renji's feet. The sun was starting to rise in the east, and Renji finally realized he had been doing this for almost an hour and a half. His arm hurt all the way through to his shoulder.
"Too long..." He murmured to himself, sitting down in a long shadow cast by a nearby tree.
There wasn't much to think about as he rested his body. He considered calling up Yukimura or Sanada now that it was a decent hour. Renji just couldn't bring himself to dial their numbers on his mobile phone.
Renji sighed as he gathered up the few tennis balls he'd been hitting, and packed up his gear, intending to go home when something...or rather someone strange appeared.
The aura surrounding the person was rather bright. Thankfully, since Renji tended to keep his eyes closed the brightness of the light surrounding this being didn't bother him as much as it might have.
"What..." Renji trailed off.
"I believe you need some assistance." A mellow, tenor voice said.
Renji's eyebrow rose. "And what makes you believe this...and where did come from?" He asked.
The newcomer spread out a set of six wings from behind his back. "I've been watching you. I have for the past three hundred years." He said. "So has someone else."
"So who are you?" Renji asked, still a bit skeptical.
"My name Is Mariel. I'm the keeper of fallen angels." He explained. "You still have several years of this life left. That should give you plenty of time to remember everything."
"Everything?" Renji asked. This was only making him more confused.
"Well, the important things. You've remembered Sadriel, so that's a step. There are a few other familiar ones among your friends and rivals. But they're not that important to your case. A few of them are though, and you've been in contact with them constantly."
"There's more?" Renji asked, a bit surprised.
Mariel nodded. "There's only a few memories of them you need to find."
Renji frowned. "What do you mean, I need to find these memories."
"Overall, your lives from the time you were cast out of Heaven have been those of good deed, with a few that almost cancelled out the good ones. Because of these good deeds, it has been declared that your sentence of exile will be over after this life. You will not have your former status of course, but you will be allowed back into Heaven. You will have to work hard to possibly regain it." Mariel said.
Renji blinked. "You mean....I'd go back to that life?"
"Yes." Mariel confirmed. "There are a few catches though."
"And what would those be?" Renji asked.
"First, keep the good deeds balanced heavier than the wrong ones. And second, you must remember your angel name."
The one thing Renji couldn't remember. Every time in his dreams, when someone is about to say his name, it's like he goes deaf as they say, or a censoring beep tunes it out. Renji frowned.
"And if I can't remember it?"
"You will be denied entrance to Heaven, and will live another few lifetimes of being human."
Renji frowned. It would be difficult, but perhaps this would be possible.
"And if it doesn't matter to me whether or not this ancient soul wants to return?"
"The choice is yours, Yanagi Renji. You can choose to torture your true self, or you can return to the life you should be living. I'm sure you'll choose wisely. Remember you, have years before this will happen. Though you never know when something out of the ordinary may happen and the choice may not end up being yours. Keep that in mind while you try to remember." Mariel said, folding his wings back. "You have friends that waiting for you to rejoin the chorus." He said, and vanished in a flash of light.
That was a rather strange event, Renji thought. So there were still friends in Heaven. That was surprising. What about the ones that were here on earth, as fellow humans. Will they be going back, or will they have to live as humans for hundreds of years as well?
Renji sighed as he started walking home. This seemed so complicated, and rather strange all at the same time. Why should he care what he had done in a past life. Why should he be the one that sought redemption for something that he personally did not do?
Like the angel Mariel said, he had years. But the fear of dying suddenly, either in an accident or lying like Yukimura had in a hospital bed because of some freak disease....They were all possibilities.
Renji shook his head of those thoughts. Was that why Yukimura had to go through that? To show him that death could lay just beyond your next step? That was not something he wanted to think about at the moment.
His thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing.
"Yes?" He answered it.
"Yanagi." Sanada's voice came through from the other side. "We need to talk." He said.
Renji frowned. "What's wrong, Genichirou?" He asked.
Sanada cleared his throat. "Nothing is really wrong, but...Perhaps you could explain this...strange occurrence?" His voice sounded a bit shaky, as if he had seen a ghost or something equally strange.
"Ah. I'm not too far away from your house. I'll come right over." Renji said, changing direction.
"Thank you." Sanada said.
Renji's thoughts were turned from his own internal problems, wondering what had happened to his friend. Could he have encountered another angel that was explaining what was going on? Or was there something else completely unrelated to Renji's situation?
Whatever it was, Renji wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he was too curious to not know. It couldn't be any stranger than what he'd been going through for years.
On to Chapter Three
Characters: Yanagi Renji, Inui Sadaharu, Sanada Genichirou
Prompt: 073 Light
Word Count: 2,562
Rating: PG-13
Summary:
Overall: Even today, angels and demons are in a quiet war. These boys are entangled in a cycle of reincarnation, and questions from the past are now coming to light. And Yanagi Renji seems to be the center of all this.
Chapter: Inui reveals his memories, an angel messenger brings a challenge to Renji, and Sanada is shaken up by something.
Author's Notes:
My LDT found here
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I avoid your look reflecting the truth
The walk to Inui's apartment was rather quiet. The atmosphere between the two boys wasn't exactly strained, but it wasn't the most comfortable.
Taking a seat in Inui's desk chair, Renji figured that would force the other, injured boy to at least sit on his bed. Inui was too stubborn to stay down for long anyway.
Once Inui had settled down on his bed, he adjusted his glasses which sat over his mummified face. "I'm not even sure how to start with this." He admitted. "It was just too strange."
Renji's lips twisted into a small smile. "Perhaps you should start at the beginning."
Inui looked down, thinking for a moment, then he looked straight at Renji. "It was...like having a flashback that you were a part of, yet it was nothing that has actually happened in my life before." He said.
Renji frowned at that.
"It started when Kirihara started attacking me. The second time I fell over, a scene of a great war flashed through my mind." Inui continued. "Once I lost consciousness..." He trailed off. Inui shook his head. "It had to have just been a strange dream. I don't even know why I'm telling you about this."
Renji looked at him for a moment. "Will you continue? I'd like to hear about it." He said. If the dream was anything like the ones he's had for years, perhaps he wasn't the only one who remembers.
Inui was surprised, but he started telling Renji about it. "I had a close friend....I attended what seemed like an execution. After that, I barely remembered him, and another friend took his place as my closest friend." Inui frowned. Those events were sounding a bit too familiar. "Anyway...the one that remained did something, and was also..." Inui trailed off.
Renji looked down. "Were they angels?" He asked quietly, not looking up.
Inui stared at Renji. "How.....yes, they were."
"And you were one of them, correct?" Renji asked, knowing where this was going.
Inui nodded. "How do you know this?" He asked, not understand what Renji could already know about his strange dreams.
Renji remained looking down for a few moments. "I've had dreams like that for years." He finally admitted. "Even when we were children. I just didn't understand them back then." Renji finally looked up. "Now that I'm older, I'm understanding a bit more." He paused, his lips pursed into a straight line. "They're glimpses into a past life. I know neither of us is Christian or really believe in things like this, but....apparently we were angels."
Inui stared at Renji for a moment, before bowing his head down again, thinking about this.
"Living as a human means that you fell out of favor or offended God somehow." Renji said hoarsely, trying not to choke up. He composed himself before speaking again. "I know nothing of this war though. I only know what I did to become a fallen one." He said.
Inui looked thoughtful, despite the bandages hiding his face. "Other than the sights, I could tell I was feeling quite lonely. The archangels were leading the charge against these rather nasty demon creatures."
"It must have happened afterwards." Renji said quietly, thinking as he wondered what Inui's angel self had done to become a fallen one as well. And why so many of these faces from the past were gathering here right now. "Do you remember any names?" He asked, curious.
Inui shook his head. "Other than Gabriel, no." He admitted.
Just as I thought Renji thought to himself. "Will you let me know if anything else like this happens?" He asked. "I want to know the whole story, and any pieces I can get from anywhere are greatly appreciated."
Inui nodded. "Of course." He said. "I must say, I'm curious as well now, even though this sounds rather...illogical."
Renji smiled. "I think it sounds more improbable than illogical." He said, standing up. "Or perhaps both. Get some rest, Sadaharu. Would I be correct in assuming you have a slight concussion?"
"Ah." Inui nodded. "It's not a serious one though. The bandages should be off tomorrow. And if it makes you feel any better, I'm not really angry at Kirihara."
It really didn't make Renji feel any better. He should have stopped that before it got as far as it did. Renji just bowed his head to acknowledge that he had heard him, and left the apartment.
Renji arrived home as it was starting to get dark. Announcing he was home, he went to his room to gather some clean clothes for a shower since he'd been in his sweaty tennis uniform for what seemed like ages.
Being informed that dinner would be ready in a half hour, he nodded an acknowledgement and went to get cleaned up.
Dinner was simple, and the conversation wasn't much, just Renji telling his family of how things went at the finals and how the entire team was disappointed, but at least they had two wins, even though the other three matches were lost. Once dinner had been consumed, he went outside to their backyard, sitting on a patch of ground that wasn't exactly comfortable, but it suited his purpose.
It was hard to see the stars with the city lights practically blocking them out, but he didn't care as he stared up to the sky. What was it about this time, this place that all these familiar faces were returning?
Lying down on his back to continue his star gazing, he saw someone standing over him. The person looked down at him, smiling. "Something troubling you?" A female voice asked.
"Nee-san." Renji greeted. "Yes and no." He answered as his sister sat down next to him.
"So what's up?" She asked, trying to see what her brother was looking at.
Renji turned his head towards her, then turned it back to the sky. "I've been wondering something." He said, making it as vague as possible. Numbers, statistics, things that were logical were things he understood. He didn't understand the more mystical aspects of life, and this entire situation seemed to be beyond his grasp.
"What's that?" She asked, pulling her knees to her chest.
"It's going to sound weird." Renji said.
"Try me."
Renji looked over at her again, and sighed to himself. His sister would keep pushing at him until he caved in, so he might as well.
"I have memories of a past life." He said. "And several of my friends seem to be faces from that life as well. I feel like I'm the only one who remembers though. Sadaharu had a few memories return when Akaya knocked him out at the tournament. I want to know why I remember though." Renji explained.
"You're right, that was weird." She said, a small smile on her face. "But!" She continued before Renji could roll his eyes. "Perhaps there's a good reason for it. Perhaps karma has come full circle, and you've made up for the things you've done in that past life, and you'll be rewarded at the end of this one."
Renji turned his head back to her. "Do you really think so?" He asked.
She shrugged. "You can always hope so. A soul can only be reborn so many times, right?"
"What if it was a divine soul in the first place?" Renji asked.
"Then perhaps it sinned and it has finally atoned for them."
Renji frowned. "And what if the others haven't yet?"
"They just need to try harder then, won't they?" She said, standing up. "Don't stay out here all night. Actually, Mother told me to tell you to come back inside."
Renji looked annoyed, but nodded. It was starting to cool off, even though it was still summer and a bit muggy outside. "I'll be in soon." He said.
"Ne, Renji," She started. "Do you think you've done right in your life so far?" She asked, and left him to think that one over.
Renji thought about that for a second, before deciding that perhaps he should get inside before his mother got too upset with him.
Sleep was not kind to Renji that evening. Between lying awake mulling over what his sister had said to him, and the unpleasant dreams, it was difficult to catch anything resembling a peaceful sleep.
Finally just giving up on sleeping completely, he decided to get up for the day at five. It was way too early for normal people. He considered calling Sanada for a match in those early hours. Even though he knew Sanada was awake at that hour, he felt it was rude to do so.
Getting dressed in his warm-ups and grabbing his tennis bag, he walked to the nearest public court, intending to hit against the wall for a while. He got into such a rhythm that the sound of the ball hitting the wall, then the bounce on the ground, off the racket and back to the wall became a soothing noise to Renji.
Even if I've done the right things, I still end up hurting the same people over and over every time. Renji thought to himself. It's an endless cycle that never gets broken. He wanted to believe that his sister was right - karma had finally come full circle. But what if she wasn't. He'd be reborn as yet another human who would suffer, and possibly not know what happened.
The tennis ball bounced twice very close to the ground and rolled past Renji's feet. The sun was starting to rise in the east, and Renji finally realized he had been doing this for almost an hour and a half. His arm hurt all the way through to his shoulder.
"Too long..." He murmured to himself, sitting down in a long shadow cast by a nearby tree.
There wasn't much to think about as he rested his body. He considered calling up Yukimura or Sanada now that it was a decent hour. Renji just couldn't bring himself to dial their numbers on his mobile phone.
Renji sighed as he gathered up the few tennis balls he'd been hitting, and packed up his gear, intending to go home when something...or rather someone strange appeared.
The aura surrounding the person was rather bright. Thankfully, since Renji tended to keep his eyes closed the brightness of the light surrounding this being didn't bother him as much as it might have.
"What..." Renji trailed off.
"I believe you need some assistance." A mellow, tenor voice said.
Renji's eyebrow rose. "And what makes you believe this...and where did come from?" He asked.
The newcomer spread out a set of six wings from behind his back. "I've been watching you. I have for the past three hundred years." He said. "So has someone else."
"So who are you?" Renji asked, still a bit skeptical.
"My name Is Mariel. I'm the keeper of fallen angels." He explained. "You still have several years of this life left. That should give you plenty of time to remember everything."
"Everything?" Renji asked. This was only making him more confused.
"Well, the important things. You've remembered Sadriel, so that's a step. There are a few other familiar ones among your friends and rivals. But they're not that important to your case. A few of them are though, and you've been in contact with them constantly."
"There's more?" Renji asked, a bit surprised.
Mariel nodded. "There's only a few memories of them you need to find."
Renji frowned. "What do you mean, I need to find these memories."
"Overall, your lives from the time you were cast out of Heaven have been those of good deed, with a few that almost cancelled out the good ones. Because of these good deeds, it has been declared that your sentence of exile will be over after this life. You will not have your former status of course, but you will be allowed back into Heaven. You will have to work hard to possibly regain it." Mariel said.
Renji blinked. "You mean....I'd go back to that life?"
"Yes." Mariel confirmed. "There are a few catches though."
"And what would those be?" Renji asked.
"First, keep the good deeds balanced heavier than the wrong ones. And second, you must remember your angel name."
The one thing Renji couldn't remember. Every time in his dreams, when someone is about to say his name, it's like he goes deaf as they say, or a censoring beep tunes it out. Renji frowned.
"And if I can't remember it?"
"You will be denied entrance to Heaven, and will live another few lifetimes of being human."
Renji frowned. It would be difficult, but perhaps this would be possible.
"And if it doesn't matter to me whether or not this ancient soul wants to return?"
"The choice is yours, Yanagi Renji. You can choose to torture your true self, or you can return to the life you should be living. I'm sure you'll choose wisely. Remember you, have years before this will happen. Though you never know when something out of the ordinary may happen and the choice may not end up being yours. Keep that in mind while you try to remember." Mariel said, folding his wings back. "You have friends that waiting for you to rejoin the chorus." He said, and vanished in a flash of light.
That was a rather strange event, Renji thought. So there were still friends in Heaven. That was surprising. What about the ones that were here on earth, as fellow humans. Will they be going back, or will they have to live as humans for hundreds of years as well?
Renji sighed as he started walking home. This seemed so complicated, and rather strange all at the same time. Why should he care what he had done in a past life. Why should he be the one that sought redemption for something that he personally did not do?
Like the angel Mariel said, he had years. But the fear of dying suddenly, either in an accident or lying like Yukimura had in a hospital bed because of some freak disease....They were all possibilities.
Renji shook his head of those thoughts. Was that why Yukimura had to go through that? To show him that death could lay just beyond your next step? That was not something he wanted to think about at the moment.
His thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing.
"Yes?" He answered it.
"Yanagi." Sanada's voice came through from the other side. "We need to talk." He said.
Renji frowned. "What's wrong, Genichirou?" He asked.
Sanada cleared his throat. "Nothing is really wrong, but...Perhaps you could explain this...strange occurrence?" His voice sounded a bit shaky, as if he had seen a ghost or something equally strange.
"Ah. I'm not too far away from your house. I'll come right over." Renji said, changing direction.
"Thank you." Sanada said.
Renji's thoughts were turned from his own internal problems, wondering what had happened to his friend. Could he have encountered another angel that was explaining what was going on? Or was there something else completely unrelated to Renji's situation?
Whatever it was, Renji wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he was too curious to not know. It couldn't be any stranger than what he'd been going through for years.
On to Chapter Three