In Another Life

A Boy with No Name

Dororo did not dream of demons and the boy that slayed them for the rest of her first semester in 6th grade at Krashen Junior High. As she settled in to Christmas break watching hallmark movies every night with her mother, her mind drifted further away from the experience and how it had chased her into reality after she had awoken. Dororo still visited Biwamaru Books and Things about once a week and had become acquainted with the freckled teen with dirty blonde locks, Meghan. 

Meghan worked at the bookstore three times a week on weekdays, so Dororo tried to only go when Meghan was working. Biwamaru's did not have a major influx of customers on a daily basis, but rather a small group of consistent locals. Dororo loved the cozy and convenient hang out place that Biwamaru's had become for her and with the arrival of winter came free hot chocolate for regulars.  Though Dororo had moved past her unusual dream, she found herself being drawn to historical books detailing the Edo period in Japan and exploring myths and legends of the time. 

Three days before Christmas, Dororo found herself parking her bike outside of Biwamaru Books and Things. The icy breeze from the ride caused her round cheeks to flush a ruddy hue and she found herself sniffling and gathering her green scarf tighter around her neck, pushing it up to cover her nose. She released a pleased sigh as she entered the warmth of the store and was greeted by Meghan.

"Good Morning Roro! Are you here to do more research?" Meghan expressed in a sing-song tone, leaning over the cashier counter to rest her arms on the surface. 

"Mornin'! Ah yeah, I guess, but it's not really research. I just kind of like learning about it, that's all." Dororo disrobes her jacket and shuffles past Meghan to the corner of the store that has become her personal implicit sanctuary. 

Dororo was led with a sense of purpose after the night she had. At 2:00 in the morning, Dororo had woke up tangled in her sheets and had placed her hand over her erratic heart that was pounding with a tinge of loss at leaving the boy behind in her dream. Though she was only eleven, she could not shake the feeling that this boy existed. That somehow these dreams were trying to tell her something she wasn't aware of yet. The dream was haunting her as she grabbed every book on the Edo period that she had recently been studying. 

_

The boy is walking on a dirt path through the woods and I follow him boldly with intent to learn about him. He wears a muddy grey cloak and walks barefoot avoiding me every time I block his path with my small physique. His brown eyes do not stoop to my face or frown in irritation, he simply sidesteps me and continues on his way with indifference. At first, he appears to be ignoring me; but, I'm still curious about his ability to see me. I rush backwards a few feet in front of him and throw my arms out wide. 

Without a flinch and holding a deadpanned expression he sidesteps me again and continues to move forward. 

"I knew you could see, there's no other explanation for you dodging me." I state running up to walk on the left of him. "Right? You can see me?"

I peek up at him, but he doesn't acknowledge my words. I question his fighting skills and ramble on following him, but he picks up his pace without a single glance my way. 

"Do you always go around slaying monsters like that? What about the swords on your arms? How do those stay attached?" As I walk, I twirl his mask on my index finger through the eye hole. 

"What about this? Your mask fell off your face after the battle and you grew new skin and everything? What's that all about?" He doesn't answer any of my questions. 

"I mean, when I see this I realize that the mask was fake, but your new skin is real and this is just crazy to me!" 

Abruptly he turns towards me, but moves beyond me into a small thicket. 

"Hey, are you listening to me?" I'm surprised to see him stop at a branch of red berries and start plucking them off. He quickly eats a few of them. 

"I guess you can see just fine." I approach him and start eating a few berries myself, yet he stands up and pushes past the thicket into a clearing revealing a river.

Unsheathing his right arm, he stabs into the water with precision to pull out a fish. He does this until he has caught three fishes, and I panic to see him try to eat them immediately with no preparation. 

"Woah! Stop!" I run in front of him throwing my hands out, "You shouldn't eat it raw." This time he looks down at me -in my direction, but his eyes do not focus onto my being. I push him gently over to a log and have him sit down. When he doesn't resist, I'm pleasantly motivated to get to work. 

He allows me to start a fire and we makeshift an area to roast the fish by the riverside. He sits on a log staring through me as I work, but I'm thankful that I was able to grab his attention to delay him from running off without me. As I'm waiting on the fish to roast, I remember that I left my goods back in town and want to slap myself. I glance over at him, admiring the way the fire accents his jaw with sun setting behind him. I don't know how old he is, but he can't be but a couple years older than me. If I can start journeying with him, he can protect me, and I will be able to eat with him whenever he hunts. 

Once the fish is ready, I tease him, "How's that? Smells good, huh?" He stands up, hovering over me and the fish. "I think it'd be better with a bit of salt, but it will still taste better than you eating it raw!" I hold up the fish on a stick in front of his face and his head snaps back. I notice his eyes widen, but they do not directly look at the fish. I gently grab his hand and place the stick in his palm. His fingers close around it and he brings it towards his mouth to begin eating. 

"Sometimes it seems like you really can't see after all. It seems like you can't hear or talk either." I settle myself into a crisscross position and watch him eat. After a little while, I fell asleep by the fire. 

I have a nightmare and jump up into a sitting position when I realize the boy is still across from me. His brown eyes stare into the fire, unbothered by my sudden movement. 

"Hey, uh, do you have a name?" Standing up, I walk over and grab his hand. I place it on the side of my face, "I'm Dororo, and you?" I move his hand to rest on his face. 

When he doesn't move or speak, I sigh throwing my head back. "I guess you don't have a name."

In the morning, I catch him by the river catching more fish. "Hey, guess what? There is talk of a monster in the village nearby. This is a great chance for us to make money. Come on, let's go!" I rush over and grab his hand. He allows me to lead him to the village, and I can't stop the smile on my face as he comes with me. 

_

Dororo blew through three books on the Edo period and discovered that the landscape and villages of her dreams were consistent with samurai Japan. Dororo had not been alive during that time period, yet her dreams held such explicit imagery and details as if she had been. Next were the myths and legends. Were demons a thing? Could a boy grow a face? She had never heard of anything like that in the present age. Dororo lamented that she had yet to learn the boy's name. Given a name, she would research it like it could cure cancer. 

Dororo had not had an interest in drawing before, but she suddenly wanted to learn if only to give existence, a tangible image, to the boy in her dreams. Learning how to draw was now on her agenda for her new years resolution. 

Wow! Chapter two is complete. I'm still exploring where I want to go with this story and the structure I want to use. I'm thinking of limiting the detailed explanations of the dreams to specific and personal encounters that Dororo and Hyakkimaru had in the past. I figure, if you are reading this fanfic, then you know their story. So, I want to move forward with the present age timeline and start focusing on how she'll encounter and reunite with a modern Hyakkimaru. Comments and ideas are appreciated!