The Echoes of Nothing 1

The top of the hill that the Tsuji Shrine sat on suddenly was darkened by passing clouds covering up the sun. A silent breeze wheeled through the ground holding off the tension that was coming to a slow boil. It left the two old friends staring at each other with a knowing look that was weighing and sorting through thoughts.

Seiji took a step forward breaking the standoff that was between them. He had a long pensive expression that seemed to be unnatural for him. It was that aura that was making it easy for Yuki to read him. Seiji resumed walking in front of him towards the stairs of the main shrine.

The wood of the shrine was well polished with a reflection of the surroundings bouncing in it as Seiji stepped on the old boards. He was followed up by Yuki not long after and made their way to the back of the shrine around the outside. A small groan from the back steps was let go as Seiji took a seat. Yuki leaned up against the supporting pillar of wood looking down.

"So… Yuki… The past year?"

"Huh?"

Yuki said looking up a little trying to understand where Seiji was headed. There were still no answers for Yuki to the reason of Seiji's appearance or purpose. It was making him increasingly curious, especially since he did not remember Seiji acting like this before when they were close friends.

Silence poured in again for a moment as Seiji searched for his words that continued to slip through his fingers.

"What I mean… How has the year been for you?"

Seiji tried to paint a friendly and happy face on but failed in the attempt.

Yuki slipped from the pillar in surprise but eventually righted himself back up.

"Wha?!"

"Well, I haven't seen you in a while. What have you been doing?"

Seiji was starting to act like Yuki was being the strange one for acting so off-balanced by the question as though it was an unbelievable thing to consider.

The near matter-of-fact attitude continued to puzzle Yuki as he stared at his friend. He slowly pulled himself back and blinked once to smooth out his disjointed feeling.

"Well, I've been going to school and started high school."

Seiji lowered his eyes a little annoyed by the easy answer.

"Yeah, I know that. Besides school."

"I uh…"

Yuki tried to think about what he had been doing, but found it all pretty ordinary and uneventful, besides one thing.

'I can't tell him that I'm an heir to some strange land that I've never seen and have powers that defy reality. And that I'm being hunted by an evil group of people trying to take control forcibly from the rightful ruler.'

The gears turned in Yuki's head trying to come up with anything that worked no matter how small.

"I ate Takoyaki!"

It was Seiji this time that lost his grip and fell down the stairs landing on his back upside down staring in disbelief and utter confusion at the response. Seiji recovered quickly and leaped up to the stairs glaring back at Yuki for giving such a ridiculous answer to him.

"What sort of answer is that?! I didn't ask what you ate!"

"Well, I did!"

Yuki said leaning in trying to re-enforce that he was being honest, even though it was a random answer.

Seiji grabbed Yuki up by the collar of his uniform and stared at him for a minute without words. Then when he seemed like he was going to punch Yuki he let him down and changed his expression.

"If it was a year ago you'd never have even said a word. Guess that'll do."

Seiji stepped down off the stairs into the grounds behind the shrine leaving a foot on one stone tile each.

Yuki pulled down his jacket to straighten it out and made it down a couple of steps.

"You know that I'm not the same, right? I've put the past behind me. Was this a test or something, Seiji?"

"A test? No, I know without a test… I guess I—"

"Yuki!"

Shoji yelled from the shrine as he threw open the doors on their skids without concern. The young boy leaped on Yuki's back hugging him tightly as Yuki had early to Seiji.

"I'm all finished with my training. So we can play, Yuki!"

"Shoji! You're going to hurt, Yuki!"

Seiji said rushing to Yuki's aid to pull off his hyperactive little brother. He struggled with Shoji a little but eventually managed to pull him off sharply with a fist to his head.

Shoji looked up at Seiji rubbing his head holding back a tear in his eye.

"What you do that for? Yuki's strong."

"Well, I…"

"It's fine," said Yuki patting Shoji on the head.

'Seiji's acting strange. I wonder what is eating him?'

He wanted to go over to Seiji and talk straight with him, but that seemed to be impossible. It was rare for them to talk seriously from what he could remember and there seemed to be something in front of Seiji holding him back. He had not seen his friend in a while, but he was not like the friend that he remembered.

A creaking of the boards signaled another visitor to the back of the shrine. It was the grandfather of Shoji and Seiji and the head of the Tsuji family. He was the one that taught the ways of the priesthood and held the line of tradition before him.

As to be expected, he wore the standard vestments of the Shinto priests without compromising for any of the modernism that was slowly trying to seep into their world. In his age, he was almost completely bald with only a ring of hair around the base of his head that hung close to his very wrinkled and dotted head.

However, in spite of his appearances, he had the fierceness of anyone half his age and refused to acknowledge age as a weakness.

"Seiji, you missed your training again. At this rate, your brother will pass you."