The sun was lazily peeking from beyond the horizon, seemingly reluctant to start the day. Though, it seemed as someone else had beaten the star to it.
A woman made her way through the forest, its lush leaves moving lightly along the jester wind, shining with dim light that it absorbed from the sleepy sun. Light twilight curved underneath the canopy, giving the early morning an aura of mystery.
The lady kept walking, her tall frame standing up-right firmly, determinedly. No sound came from the feminine figure, as she made her way towards the intended location – a sacred place for her, hidden within the heart of the grandfather forest. The light brown cloak draped around the lithe body made a gentle swooshing sound from brushing against other parts of the clothing.
The deep hood was drawn upon her head, painting long and dark shadows along the features of her face. But few long green tresses hung from beyond the edge of the soft material.
She walked for quite a while, making her silent road through the half-asleep forest. No animals had begun their day – the birds were silent, no squirrels prancing around in search for more food. Her only companion was the wind, not counting the sleep sun, which now hung higher in the arch of the sky. The wind kept whispering its secrets in the ears of the woman, rattling her hood all the while. But soon enough, his chatter came to a halt, as the person stopped, gazing ahead of her. There it stood, in the middle of the small clearing, surrounded by tall oaks and pines that didn’t dare to spread their canopies above it.
A smile graced the visible lips of the human. She reached her hands up and pulled the hood back, letting it fall from her head. As that was done, immediately after, long green tresses fell freely from atop the woman’s head, reaching below her hips and swaying lightly in the breeze. It framed that familiar face like a curtain of shimmering water, bringing out the round amethyst eyes. Within the looked locks there where hair trinkets endowed. Different shapes and sizes, like little shells and coins, miniature lotuses and books. A scar was hid from the sight with the green threads – a long, clean line went from the hair-line above the right side of her temple, down next to the ear and below to her jawline. Though, her eyes did not hold the harshness that her body was obviously exposed to; they showed the loving and caring nature she held within.
Lenalee’s lips parted from the smile, to speak words in that velvety voice:
“Good morning, Kanda-kun.” The same old greeting, with the same old attitude – that was something she was unwilling to let go of. The exorcist advanced forwards to the polished stone that slept in the middle of the cleared-out space, at the same time removing her worn cloak. When she reached the glinting stone, the woman knelt down next to it, draping the long cloth around the cold granite, like one would to a friend in need of warmth.
She leaned against the side of it, looking at the sunrise, quiet taking over for a moment.
“Y’know, it’s been a while… I’ve missed doing stuff like this – watching the sunrises, meditating together.” Lenalee’s wide eyes skimmed over the horizon, enjoying the wonderful colors that painted the skyline. Orange and red dominated the place, like a king and a queen, yellow accenting them like a child would. Those colors softly turned into pinks and violets, molding further to purples and blues; in the highest valves, though, still lurked the black of the night. A sigh of appreciation passed the parched lips of the woman.
“You probably want to know how things are going around the HQ, hmm?” a hum trailed after the sigh. Shifting a little, Lenalee took on a pose more suitable for storytelling.
“The exorcists are more or less fine. Marie and Miranda engaged recently, but I think he already told you that himself. Lavi took on an apprentice; he wants to start early and train as many as he can. The boy’s name is Drake and he is very similar to you in character – always grumpy and serious. Little mister Grouchy-pants.” She laughed, teasing the friend she had.
“Then there are new exorcists too - all rookies. Oh! And by the way – I am a general now. We are four at the moment – the same old Sokalo, Klaud, Tiedoll and me. My team is Lavi and Drake, and another boy that you don’t know – Jaanus. So me and Lavi are stuck on teacher/mentor duty now.” A chuckle flew around the little meadow.
“Enough about exorcists now. The Science Department is still chaotic as ever. Recently we had an outbreak of little bird-like creatures; those were the new golems. They were supposed to be more agile and with a longer frequency range, but we haven’t had the chance to test them yet.”
“Things are pretty lively there. Russell’s son joined our ranks too. He works on the equipment for finders, so they can defend against akuma, have better communication systems and so on.”
A long moment of silence ensued further. The sun had revealed itself fully now, starting its early way across the sky. Forest animals already were doing their daily routines, pawing around their territories. Though, the clearing still stood its unmoving scene. It looked as if time itself dared not to disturb it.
Then, after, when the woman had been sitting there so long that she could have been mistaken for stone, Lenalee stood from her position on the ground. Taking her sweet time, she starched out the joints, hearing them groan and pop in protest against the movement. A small sad smile had bloomed bitterly upon the exorcists lips. It was time to leave.
“I have to go now,” She whispered in a bittersweet voice. “I’m leaving for a mission. It will take no more than 3 weeks; heading up to the north – Norway. When I’ll return visiting you will be the first thing I’ll do.”
The woman bent down, picking up the coat from the granite stone. She draped it around herself once more and bent down again, this time – giving a kiss to the gravestone. She traced her fingers over the beautiful letters engraved on the surface, which spelled out the name of her family member.
“Goodbye, Kanda-kun. I’ll be careful, I promise.” With that, she smiled a tad bit brighter. Turning on her heel, she left, leaving behind the grave that caressed lightly by the rays of sun. And in the light wind that picked up seemingly from nowhere, it looked as though the single lotus, which grew on the grave, was waving a gentle goodbye to the departing sister.
Kanda Yuu
Like lotus, you came from the dark
And rose to the light
