Rattling Faces

The world was beginning to open into more pathways for me to go back home, yet we still had long ways to go. Satsu at times would transform into his dragon form temporarily; until his energy would give out which made me worry. Some days we would fly and some days we would walk. It was an adventure; yet it was hard to deal with the constant change of walking and then flying. Satsu was in absolute peace since he had finally broke away from Utmas curse. Yet there were still some odd feelings and odd moments happen; which made me wonder on how Utma was doing about Satsu breaking away from her curse. Had she calmed down? Was she in this world, where there was nothing but madness? Perhaps she had calmed down, yet I hoped for Utma to accept Satsus feelings and the purpose of him growing into his own person; and not being worked too hard nearly to death. I had hoped that she would also accept me... As not only a human girl; but the one girl who cared and done everything to help her son, and not as an enemy or threat into stealing Satsu or making him run away. Ever since I had came into the spirit world, through the chained doors and into the world where I had met so many new spirits and beings and I had met Satsu... I had realized how Utma had influenced as the biggest figure of Satsus life. And nearly everything she had done was effected by Satsu. And everything he had done effected her. They have something that I had never experienced; being a son towards a mother and a mother towards a son. Perhaps my mentor who has been there for me; yet he wasn't motherly or let alone affectionate. He had also worked me. Satsu is so afraid and overtaken by Utma and how she would think of him; and he was deeply worried of deceiving his own mother in any way. Until she had done far worse than he had hoped; forcing him and working him more than just as a mother but as a leader; she was in charge of the spirit house and she had became in charge of Satsu as well. Soon it became not as a mother but as a frightening figure who emerged from a grotesque world as a beast in Satsu's mind. He was living in fear. He was worried of being there for his mother yet he was afraid of her; frightening him. I had never had the feeling of having a figure I was born from; I was happy that Satsu got to experience having someone who gave birth to him in this life despite the hardships.

Yet Satsu had grown; and he is maturing. He is finally mending into his own personality; away from being afraid by Utma and he is now accepting her as his mother. He realized that he had to become his own person; his own person in a sense that his mother did not force him to be someone who he was not. I was proud to see Satsu, his spirit was beginning to grow into his own divine oneness.

Meanwhile, Satsu decided to walk the rest of the way. He had flew over seas which required energy. I was thankful for Satsu and he was helping me get back to my own world and at home. Eternally I had felt the most greatful; since I was happy that Satsu was eager to fly to carry me home without any hesitations. He has always been there for me, as I had felt the most joy. Without him It would have been harsh and equally tough for the chance of me wandering into this world for survival.

We were walking on a land that Satsu and I had never been to. It was partly desert and sea. One part of the land was dry while the other was sea level. Such an odd form and combination of elements and economic land. I couldn't believe we have to go through so much in order to reach the other side of the spirit world; where the opening to my world had been there; knowing this I was eager and waiting; longing to hear the sensations of humans, beings of my own kind. I was happy; until Satsus mood changed drastically.

His legs stomped against the sand, causing the dust particles to uproar from the ground and into a small cloud that waved over my feet. He was growing tired. And he was exasperated; I could tell because the look of Satsus eyes had told a different feeling and his own personal story.

"What's wrong Satsu?" I asked. He looked at me; his eyes drooped down. Why had he been acting this way?

"Stop asking so many questions. Why are you always just blabbing on and on about you? I'm always having to listen to your personal problems. It's exhausting. I'm beginning to only do these things for you only because I feel bad and I don't want to." Satsu scoffed; kicking a rock across the lines of sand as the wind flew through the strands of my hair. I was silent; and I did not speak since this was not like Satsu at all. This was gradually becoming an unbelievable dream.

Something struck a chord inside me; I felt upset, since I spoke to Satsu about my life and how it was changing. Yet he is saying that I am exhausting; exhausting to him and his life. Yet he looked so hopeful before. Had I been changing him? Is this all because of me?

I helped it so I didn't cry. I sniffed a bit; until Satsu had realized that I had been crying. He looked at me with a rude expression.

"Stop it. Your always crying, why are you so sensitive? Be like the strong girl you've always told me to be, idiot."

I looked up distraught by Satsu. Why was Satsu doing this, saying these words? What had happened to him? I couldn't stop crying. Perhaps I am sensitive; sensitive with feelings that are protected and withheld in my own heart. This was not like Satsu. Something is different, and something had been changing.

I looked all around me. I observed the land. Nothing had been in sight. No sign of Utma or her henchmen, or anything at all. It was just me, Satsu, and the red sand that stood below our feet. Until I saw a small cave far aways from us. I turned over and looked at Satsu.

"Satsu- look, shelter!" I pointed towards the cave that had been the same colored rock as the red sand.

Satsu mocked me and said; "then go inside." His eyes scowled upon me. I had honestly wanted to know what was wrong. With a slow turn of my heel I walked towards the cave and went under. It was small; the rock laid flat on top of us as a roof. Satsu walked inside last after I had. He coughed and wrapped his hands around his knees.

"Now we have to sleep side by side." He said sharply.

Of course we had to. What else? And again we had slept near each other; yet Satsus attitude was far more than unusual. It was so different of him to talk that way; something had not been right. It made me feel nervous; I started to doubt everything and myself. Perhaps Satsu is better off without me; he's always so isolated. Hence I make him feel distraught. I had started to become afraid to even look over at Satsu.

"Now your just assuming." Said something; a thought. I looked up. No one had been around. I looked over at Satsu. "Did you say anything?" I asked.

"Stop asking me questions." His tone of voice lowered into a dense undertone. I looked out into the open. The wind started to pick up, and waves of dust flew inside; and pattering of rain fell. I layed down and slid over to the back of the small cave as Satsu sat there motionless. The wind flew inside as Satsu wrapped his arms shielded his face from the particles of broken down particles from sand. I was silent as the wind blew endlessly and the rain grew into an incoming storm. Satsu was grunting; he was beginning to feel worse. I sat closer by Satsu.

"Leave me alone." He said.

I looked at him with helpless eyes; I asked what was wrong. He didn't reply. He looked out into the open until the storm went away faster than I could have ever hoped. It seemed to be that in this land there is constant storms and changes in weather every so often. I walked outside as the desert grew into a long endless plain of grass colored green; contemplating myself I discovered that this land had changed In just a few moments. I gasped; and looked over at Satsu with wide eyes.

"Satsu!" I called out. "There is grass! The plains are green; there's flowers everywhere." I described. Satsu walked out slowly and he carefully walked outside.

"Yeah- I think I could see that." His voice cracked as he spoke. His voice was changing.

What was going on with Satsu? His voice sounds different- almost like a beast. I thought it out for a moment until I shook my head forgetting my thoughts. The sky was now the brightest of blue; clouds were abundant, and the long strands of grass peered over my feet. Light pink of petals grew into large mounds of blossoms nearly at every corner; and the water washed up from the sea. Satsu scowled as he stared out into the open. I walked over towards Satsu straight into his eyes. They were discolored. Blue mended with specs of yellow; I looked intently into his pupils. He backed away from me.

"Nothing is wrong with me! I am not feeling different. I'm not sad. I'm not angry. I'm not anything! Leave me alone to die, I am done, go away. Go away!" Satsu yelled and pushed me away by the force of his words. He ran away behind the cave in the middle of the plain as the clouds turned into a storm again. And the grass was now wilting. I too had felt from feeling joyful; I too, myself- felt as if I am wilting along with the shades grass. I looked behind me as Satsu hid away. Suddenly I heard sounds of rattling. It sounding like a light 'tssss....' Everywhere there were sounds of rattling; I looked down beneath me.

There were wooden faces. They were nearly close to totems; yet they were shaking vibrantly. They were painted yellow; and they had two holes for eyes and a small hole representing their mouth. Satsu cried from behind the cave as the wooden faces continued to make a congression of sounds of rattling; they shook as I looked around. The wind blew beside the faces causing them to shake violently. I called out for Satsu; why had these faces suddenly came from know-where?

"Satsu! I know your feeling something, I'm sorry. I really am!" I cried from the distance. Satsu coughed violently. His voice was deeper and his voice was respiring.

"No! I am not solemn nor am I melancholy!" He cried intently. My eyes started to water as the rattling would not stop. I walked towards Satsu behind the cave.

"Satsu, I know that a lot of things are going the wrong way, and I know. But please Satsu- I'm sorry... Just be strong for me. I really am sorry." I tried to console Satsu; yet it was not working. He hissed violently from behind the rock.

"Don't come back here! Don't look at me I said!" He yelled fiercely; he insisted on defnding himself. He did not move; all I could do right now is to try to make the rattling of the yellow wooden totem faces stop and to help Satsu.

I thought about Satsu and his life. His mother had effected him, and Kusubata. They had both made him feel distraught, he felt as if he could do nothing to help with his parents to mend back his family, taking away all of the sadness behind himself. He worked soullessly; he felt as if working for Utma was the only way to help his family, and nearly everything. The spirits made him fall into the deepened depths as the light had fallen from his grasp, and he did not dare to say farewell to his father, but to hope him a good farewell as he had left him. Utma caused his mind to crack; Kusubata insisted on taking Satsu yet Utma refused. He felt so dark, and I had came along and he ran away. He ran away from Utmas grasp, as her tears she would cry, she could not take him away. Kusubatas sudden uproar caused much quarreling, Satsu felt lost, he could never retrieve into going back home. I didn't believe that I had effected Satsu since he had offered to be there for me on the way back to my home, my own world of my own kind. I had suddenly thought of these faces, they had awoken from Satsus overbearing sadness. They had sensed him from their land. They were warning me that I had to help Satsu. I held on to my magatama beads as the faces of the wooden faces rattled intently, and I walked over towards Satsu again. I looked at him. He screeched; he had turned into far worse than just a beast; for he was a beast of a monster. His fur had turned onyx; and he had grown feathers as a replacement for scales. His eyes had turned yellow with specs of blue; yet his face still remained with a hint of ebony skin.

"I told you not to look at me." He hissed which mended into a loud overtone of his scratching voice.

I breathed slowly as I looked at Satsu; his form had told his story personally all on its own. How he had felt on the inside reflected outside; as a spell. It had also effected his choice of words revolving around his behavior. Tears shed from my eyes as I crouched down beside Satsu. He breathed in and out; very slowly as his chest was moving. I looked into Satsus eyes. They were glistening. Slowly the sky grew dark; and the stars were reflecting into his eyes. I reached my hand against his chest as his heart was pounding, and each time he breathed out he did it loudly. I looked into Satsus eyes and I would not look away as I had started to speak.

"Nothing, not in a million years, or worlds, I would have never chose to meet someone that weren't you. If I did, I would not believe it. Because in every dimension, every world, and every world that is a spirit world, I would find you and I would protect you." I whispered as my voice cracked as I spoke. His eyes widened, and his anger was drifting; slowly yet gradually. I looked at him as my magatama beads glowed from the rays of the shedding of moonlight, yet I would not stop to look into Satsus eyes.

"You will always be wonderful in my eyes Satsu. Nothing would ever change how I would think of you, and your feelings based upon your past will never effect your part in my life. I will never think of you differently, even if you were completely a beast, there would be nothing in this world that would keep me thinking differently and nothing will make me part from you other wise. You are Satsu; my heart, my dragon boy, and you are your soul and your own unique blend of characteristics of a spirit. You are everything I had ever dreamed of ever meeting, and you are the most outstanding spirit I had ever seen of my life."

The rattling had stopped, and the wilted grass grew again, and the stems wrapped around the totems reeling them into the ground taking them away. The moonlight reached into my magatama beads as Satsu held onto my arms as we flew into the night sky, and he smiled gracefully as we flew higher and my magatama beads had lifted from my neck, not completely off of me, yet enough to take in all of the light from the moon.

"You had taken away the darkened spirits from my train of thoughts." He exclaimed.

"Huh?" I looked at him surprised; I hadn't known what he meant, until he laughed thoughtfully.

"Your words released the likeness of the darkness within the spell! I knew you had it in you Eyra." His arms wrapped around me. My cheeks turned pink, as heart was pounding against my chest.

"I understand now." He whispered in my ear. We were hovering from the ground. The moonlight reflected on his hair, it was silver with his dirty likeness of blonde tints, the wind danced against the strands of my hair, and chimes of music grew from the distance and he held my arms out into the open and we moved around and we flew. I laughed as Satsu was normal again, and this time he was different.

Away from the house of Utma, released completely from the dark spirits of their spell, and from Kusubatas change of his personality made Satsu feel normal again. He had retrieved his happiness. The war was over. He had awoken from his solemn way of thinking and now he was free. Suddenly wings appeared from his lower back, and a tail shown from him. He smiled as he held my hands as we flew around. I twirled in the sky as I laughed as he did the same.

"I get it now." He whispered. Get what? I thought. I looked at him as he looked at me.

"You're the princess; you released me from my darkened spell. Legends have told long ago soon in the future that a dragon boy was in need of a presence to release him from his spell from darkened spirits and souls. Yet suddenly from a different world she came, she came along and helped to cure the dragon boy. I remember now, I used to love this tale ever since a child, and even when the spirit who gave us figures of the characters my memories was still not retrievable. Yet what you said, the words you had said had meaning and you released me."

We were now standing on the ground, his arms wrapped around me as I realized that I had been grinning. The magatama beads felt warmly between us, and I was happy, grateful that I had the power to help Satsu. Moments after the sky was night, yet the light of the stars shown brightly as the rays of light shown for us, I had been greatful for everything that had happened.