I hope Nikkou forgives me for this: A caption turned story
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2006 3:25 amIf you haven't seen Nikkou's latest caption pics in her thread. I suggest you go view them now. The one that appears as the text:
This is the main provider of what I've done here. After seeing this pic and reading it's caption. I couldn't deny what I felt forming inside me. I had to give it life. This story is what became of that feeling.
Hopefully Nikkou doesn't mind that I'm basically taking her idea and turning it into this. I even have the text from the caption almost perfectly duplicated in the story itself.
Anyway without further ado, the story:
A Picture Says a Thousand Words To Many Different People
I could see her now. She was right where my master said she would be. All that I had left to do was to strike her down and take what my master desired so strongly. That was my only purpose.
From the shadows I appeared, slashing my opponent in her left arm before she had a change to react. She had sensed my presence too late, not noticing me until I was practically right on top of her. I didn't know why my master had sent something as powerful as me to deal with something so fragile. But it was not my purpose to question his methods. I had a job to do.
I could see the fear in her eyes. The image of this girl was clear for me to see now. She wore what the humans called a Shinto priestess gown, with the addition of a single white ribbon in her hair. She stared at me with frightened blue eyes, only occasionally obscured by her long purple hair. I felt no pity for her, no regret for my actions. I merely slashed at her again getting her left leg this time. I had not been designed for pity or regret.
I watched as she stumbled backward almost falling, before turning and running out of the park I had attacked her in. I slowly followed her as she ran into a nearby alleyway. I took no pleasure in chasing her, nor did I enjoy harming her. As I carried out my duty, I felt nothing. Nothing but the desire to finish what I had been commanded to do.
She sat there in that ally. Clutching the book to her stomach with her good arm. He blood lay upon the wall and floor. It had already covered most of her uniform. She was done for, all that was left was to take what was mine. Therefore I never saw it coming.
As my foot came in contact with her blood on the floor it flashed a strange bluish color of light. Too late did I realize my folly. It was not I who was hunting her, but her who had been hunting me. I knew I had failed even before the world grew dark around me, my self falling into the darkness like a stone in water.
When I could see again, the intense pain I felt confirmed what I already knew. She had been more powerful then I could have ever imagined. She had let me attack her. Let me so she could work whatever magic this was. When I had stepped on her pool of blood in the alley. I had fallen into her trap.
I had been so close... So close to attaining the book for my master. But even as I held it in my possession, I knew that it was only because its protector had somehow switched our bodies. My body, which stood in front of me, looked down at me with pity. While my life drained away and my vision dimmed, I wondered... What if?
What if I had been a human, like the body I was to die in? What if... I had had a life of my own...
"Do you wish to find out?" A voice spoke from the darkness of the alley. I jumped despite my current situation. It shouldn't matter to me now who was speaking, or what they were speaking of. I had precious few moments of life left in this body. Only now, now that I had been freed from the prison that had been my old body did I regret. Did I feel sorrow for all that I had done. Under the orders of my master I had committed unspeakable crimes. But as a demon I had not been allowed the privileges of human emotions. But now. Now I had been given these things so long denied me. I felt the darkness beginning to consume me once more. Had I been born a human... I would have done things differently. I only knew that I didn't want this. I didn't want what I had been. If to die as a human girl that I brought to death myself was to be my punishment. So be it.
Still, who was this who spoke to me now? If only to find out this one last piece of information. I decided to live just long enough to learn that. The man stepped into the light. I could see by the look on the face of my old body that the girl hadn't been expecting this guy to be here either. He didn't look special from his outfit. Just a normal pair of black jeans with a black t-shirt. The only other articles he wore besides his socks as shoes was a large red with black sleeves ski-type jacket, and a pair of sliver sunglasses. His hair was short brown and spiky. The only other distinguished thing about him besides his eyes was the small mustache above his upper lip. His eyes however perplexed me. Not hidden by the glasses which had been lifted to rest upon the top of his head. I had a clear shot of them. They were as fierce as an animal that had just made a fresh kill. Yet I could also see a sense of concern, of kindness in them. I had never before seen such eyes. Just who was he?
"A light can only burn it's brightest when given the proper fuel to do so by. The light of your soul has been kept ignorant of these fuels for a long time haven't they?" The man said as he looked directly at me. He seemed to be ignoring the girl in my body entirely. Yet she didn't seem to mind. what was going on?
"I could hear your soul cry out as you lie there dying. Such a sad existence you had to lead before this event. I could not deny such a request. From the time you attacked her I had been watching. Watching knowing that you were already dead by the trap she sprung. I remained only long enough to see it through to the end. But upon hearing the last wish of a dying soul, I could remain hidden no longer." The man said with unwavering force. Had I not been dying I may have found this all rather hard to accept. This man seemed to claim he could have taken me out at anytime, only letting me attack her so to let me fall into the very trap I was in now. For an instant I wondered if he was in league with her, but by seeing the surprised look upon her new face I realized that was not the case. She hadn't known of his watching either.
He walked right up to me and took the book from my arm. I watched as the girl in my body tensed for a fight, but instead of attempting to challenge her for the book he merely handed it over. This shocked me. My master had killed many in pursuit of this book. Never once had I questioned it's importance nor did I even know what it was. But for my master to want it so badly it must be something very powerful, and this man was simply passing such a thing up?
"If I guess correctly, you'll take the form of another humanoid female and once again guard over this tomb. For not trying to take it I merely ask if I may deal with this dying girl myself" The man said sternly. His gaze burned like fire. I could tell he did not want to fight this girl, but I could also tell he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Luckily he didn't have to. The girl looked confused but merely nodded. Then right before my eyes she morphed into a new human female. She wore the same clothing I did now, except she had no ribbon. Her hair had also become longer then mine, reaching the small of her back. It had also turned a golden blond color. She glanced at me once showing off her new hazel eyes before smiling and running out of the alley and away. Once again the eyes of the man were on me.
"My name is Garath Xion. I came here to dispatch of a warlock who I had learned was taking the lives of many around him only to fulfill his own rotten purposes. You may know him..." The man known as Garath said to me while reaching behind him. Reality seemed to shift for a bit before he pulled out clutched in his hand by it's hair a severed human head. The severed head of my former master.
I no longer felt nothing upon seeing such things in front of me. Now I felt fear, disgust, and utter loathing at what I saw. Fear at seeing such a sight before me. Disgust at the stench and gore of the thing. Then finally, I felt loathing for the very thing the head had once belonged to. I felt no sorrow for such a death.
"You have a choice. You can die as you are now, or I can heal you and you can try to live life as your own. Under my guidance of course. At least until I feel you can be trusted. Those are the conditions. What do you choose?" Garath said plainly as he vanished the head back from where it had come. As for me the world stood still. I had been given the chance at life anew. No longer a tool for some foolish greedy human. No I could live life as I chose to. A life unknown to me. I had never lived with what humans called emotions. Even now I felt what could be described as anxiety. Sensing the emotion in others didn't come close to actually experiencing it yourself. In truth the prospect scared me, with was yet another emotion I was not use to feeling.
I knew very well that this path could be very painful. However that was a small punishment to endure for everything I had caused. I made my decision.
"I...." I tried before chocking on blood, all the while amazed at the sound of my new voice, "I want to live. If only to repent...." The man seemed to smile at me.
"Repent is a strong desire. What you did is not entirely your fault. It's good to feel guilty for everything, but try not to let it consume you." He said as his right hand began to glow a bright sliver. Within an instant I felt him plunge the hand directly into my chest. I thought I'd die right there, yet strangely I felt no pain. Instead I felt a warm gentle energy flow into my body. When it was finished I realized my body was whole. The wounds I had caused seemed as if they had never existed.
"What... What happened?" I asked. The voice was still so strange to me. I felt as time went by, I'd find many things very different then what I was use to.
"It's ironic you know?" He said almost as if he hadn't heard me, "It's just like the touch in a way. The way I used my aura to infuse the healing magic into your very core. I guess even those creatures can give birth to good ideas." Shaking himself from his thoughts he faced me again, the stern eyes returning.
"From this day forth you are a pupil of mine. You will remain in my care till I decide otherwise. If I deem you unworthy of your second chance I'll kill you on the spot. Am I understood?" I felt my blood run cold. In my state right now there was no way I could protect myself from such a foe. What would I do if it turned out he found me unworthy?
"Y-yes sir!" I blurted out unsure of how else to phrase it. To my surprise Garath laughed a bit.
"Don't worry, unless you wish to go on a killing spree or something It's unlikely that I'll find you unworthy. All you have to do is to want to help people." He said giving me a kind smile. His eyes had changed from the fierce sternness I had been use to. Now I saw a feeling I didn't think I understood yet. But I knew it wasn't something I'd come to dislike.
"O-Ok!" I said with as much enthusiasm as I could. So eager was I to attempt life as someone who would never have to carry out orders with unfeeling force again.
"Good," Garath said his voice still gentle and kind. He turned towards the exit of the alley and began to walk while indicating me to follow. Excited, I began to do just that. I would never have imagined how much joy one could feel simply by being able to stand there on their own decision. My only concern at the moment was if the girl I had tried to kill was still around. Garath seemed alright with forgiving me, but would she?
"Oh by the way," Garath said without turning around. He stopped just at the edge of the exit, causing me to halt right behind him. Curious I listened with newfound childlike curiosity. Finally he turned his head to peer over his shoulder at me, his face serious but still smiling.
"The girl who's body you inhabit was named Julia. Consider that name a gift from her." He said turning back forward.
"Now come on Julia, I'll take you to your new home," He said moving along once more. A new warmth filling up inside me. I followed, determined to never look back.
I'm a sucker for believing that, should someone expect death and they have time to think about, they would likely reflect on things they normally wouldn't. Question things, question life.
This is the main provider of what I've done here. After seeing this pic and reading it's caption. I couldn't deny what I felt forming inside me. I had to give it life. This story is what became of that feeling.
Hopefully Nikkou doesn't mind that I'm basically taking her idea and turning it into this. I even have the text from the caption almost perfectly duplicated in the story itself.
Anyway without further ado, the story:
A Picture Says a Thousand Words To Many Different People
I could see her now. She was right where my master said she would be. All that I had left to do was to strike her down and take what my master desired so strongly. That was my only purpose.
From the shadows I appeared, slashing my opponent in her left arm before she had a change to react. She had sensed my presence too late, not noticing me until I was practically right on top of her. I didn't know why my master had sent something as powerful as me to deal with something so fragile. But it was not my purpose to question his methods. I had a job to do.
I could see the fear in her eyes. The image of this girl was clear for me to see now. She wore what the humans called a Shinto priestess gown, with the addition of a single white ribbon in her hair. She stared at me with frightened blue eyes, only occasionally obscured by her long purple hair. I felt no pity for her, no regret for my actions. I merely slashed at her again getting her left leg this time. I had not been designed for pity or regret.
I watched as she stumbled backward almost falling, before turning and running out of the park I had attacked her in. I slowly followed her as she ran into a nearby alleyway. I took no pleasure in chasing her, nor did I enjoy harming her. As I carried out my duty, I felt nothing. Nothing but the desire to finish what I had been commanded to do.
She sat there in that ally. Clutching the book to her stomach with her good arm. He blood lay upon the wall and floor. It had already covered most of her uniform. She was done for, all that was left was to take what was mine. Therefore I never saw it coming.
As my foot came in contact with her blood on the floor it flashed a strange bluish color of light. Too late did I realize my folly. It was not I who was hunting her, but her who had been hunting me. I knew I had failed even before the world grew dark around me, my self falling into the darkness like a stone in water.
When I could see again, the intense pain I felt confirmed what I already knew. She had been more powerful then I could have ever imagined. She had let me attack her. Let me so she could work whatever magic this was. When I had stepped on her pool of blood in the alley. I had fallen into her trap.
I had been so close... So close to attaining the book for my master. But even as I held it in my possession, I knew that it was only because its protector had somehow switched our bodies. My body, which stood in front of me, looked down at me with pity. While my life drained away and my vision dimmed, I wondered... What if?
What if I had been a human, like the body I was to die in? What if... I had had a life of my own...
"Do you wish to find out?" A voice spoke from the darkness of the alley. I jumped despite my current situation. It shouldn't matter to me now who was speaking, or what they were speaking of. I had precious few moments of life left in this body. Only now, now that I had been freed from the prison that had been my old body did I regret. Did I feel sorrow for all that I had done. Under the orders of my master I had committed unspeakable crimes. But as a demon I had not been allowed the privileges of human emotions. But now. Now I had been given these things so long denied me. I felt the darkness beginning to consume me once more. Had I been born a human... I would have done things differently. I only knew that I didn't want this. I didn't want what I had been. If to die as a human girl that I brought to death myself was to be my punishment. So be it.
Still, who was this who spoke to me now? If only to find out this one last piece of information. I decided to live just long enough to learn that. The man stepped into the light. I could see by the look on the face of my old body that the girl hadn't been expecting this guy to be here either. He didn't look special from his outfit. Just a normal pair of black jeans with a black t-shirt. The only other articles he wore besides his socks as shoes was a large red with black sleeves ski-type jacket, and a pair of sliver sunglasses. His hair was short brown and spiky. The only other distinguished thing about him besides his eyes was the small mustache above his upper lip. His eyes however perplexed me. Not hidden by the glasses which had been lifted to rest upon the top of his head. I had a clear shot of them. They were as fierce as an animal that had just made a fresh kill. Yet I could also see a sense of concern, of kindness in them. I had never before seen such eyes. Just who was he?
"A light can only burn it's brightest when given the proper fuel to do so by. The light of your soul has been kept ignorant of these fuels for a long time haven't they?" The man said as he looked directly at me. He seemed to be ignoring the girl in my body entirely. Yet she didn't seem to mind. what was going on?
"I could hear your soul cry out as you lie there dying. Such a sad existence you had to lead before this event. I could not deny such a request. From the time you attacked her I had been watching. Watching knowing that you were already dead by the trap she sprung. I remained only long enough to see it through to the end. But upon hearing the last wish of a dying soul, I could remain hidden no longer." The man said with unwavering force. Had I not been dying I may have found this all rather hard to accept. This man seemed to claim he could have taken me out at anytime, only letting me attack her so to let me fall into the very trap I was in now. For an instant I wondered if he was in league with her, but by seeing the surprised look upon her new face I realized that was not the case. She hadn't known of his watching either.
He walked right up to me and took the book from my arm. I watched as the girl in my body tensed for a fight, but instead of attempting to challenge her for the book he merely handed it over. This shocked me. My master had killed many in pursuit of this book. Never once had I questioned it's importance nor did I even know what it was. But for my master to want it so badly it must be something very powerful, and this man was simply passing such a thing up?
"If I guess correctly, you'll take the form of another humanoid female and once again guard over this tomb. For not trying to take it I merely ask if I may deal with this dying girl myself" The man said sternly. His gaze burned like fire. I could tell he did not want to fight this girl, but I could also tell he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Luckily he didn't have to. The girl looked confused but merely nodded. Then right before my eyes she morphed into a new human female. She wore the same clothing I did now, except she had no ribbon. Her hair had also become longer then mine, reaching the small of her back. It had also turned a golden blond color. She glanced at me once showing off her new hazel eyes before smiling and running out of the alley and away. Once again the eyes of the man were on me.
"My name is Garath Xion. I came here to dispatch of a warlock who I had learned was taking the lives of many around him only to fulfill his own rotten purposes. You may know him..." The man known as Garath said to me while reaching behind him. Reality seemed to shift for a bit before he pulled out clutched in his hand by it's hair a severed human head. The severed head of my former master.
I no longer felt nothing upon seeing such things in front of me. Now I felt fear, disgust, and utter loathing at what I saw. Fear at seeing such a sight before me. Disgust at the stench and gore of the thing. Then finally, I felt loathing for the very thing the head had once belonged to. I felt no sorrow for such a death.
"You have a choice. You can die as you are now, or I can heal you and you can try to live life as your own. Under my guidance of course. At least until I feel you can be trusted. Those are the conditions. What do you choose?" Garath said plainly as he vanished the head back from where it had come. As for me the world stood still. I had been given the chance at life anew. No longer a tool for some foolish greedy human. No I could live life as I chose to. A life unknown to me. I had never lived with what humans called emotions. Even now I felt what could be described as anxiety. Sensing the emotion in others didn't come close to actually experiencing it yourself. In truth the prospect scared me, with was yet another emotion I was not use to feeling.
I knew very well that this path could be very painful. However that was a small punishment to endure for everything I had caused. I made my decision.
"I...." I tried before chocking on blood, all the while amazed at the sound of my new voice, "I want to live. If only to repent...." The man seemed to smile at me.
"Repent is a strong desire. What you did is not entirely your fault. It's good to feel guilty for everything, but try not to let it consume you." He said as his right hand began to glow a bright sliver. Within an instant I felt him plunge the hand directly into my chest. I thought I'd die right there, yet strangely I felt no pain. Instead I felt a warm gentle energy flow into my body. When it was finished I realized my body was whole. The wounds I had caused seemed as if they had never existed.
"What... What happened?" I asked. The voice was still so strange to me. I felt as time went by, I'd find many things very different then what I was use to.
"It's ironic you know?" He said almost as if he hadn't heard me, "It's just like the touch in a way. The way I used my aura to infuse the healing magic into your very core. I guess even those creatures can give birth to good ideas." Shaking himself from his thoughts he faced me again, the stern eyes returning.
"From this day forth you are a pupil of mine. You will remain in my care till I decide otherwise. If I deem you unworthy of your second chance I'll kill you on the spot. Am I understood?" I felt my blood run cold. In my state right now there was no way I could protect myself from such a foe. What would I do if it turned out he found me unworthy?
"Y-yes sir!" I blurted out unsure of how else to phrase it. To my surprise Garath laughed a bit.
"Don't worry, unless you wish to go on a killing spree or something It's unlikely that I'll find you unworthy. All you have to do is to want to help people." He said giving me a kind smile. His eyes had changed from the fierce sternness I had been use to. Now I saw a feeling I didn't think I understood yet. But I knew it wasn't something I'd come to dislike.
"O-Ok!" I said with as much enthusiasm as I could. So eager was I to attempt life as someone who would never have to carry out orders with unfeeling force again.
"Good," Garath said his voice still gentle and kind. He turned towards the exit of the alley and began to walk while indicating me to follow. Excited, I began to do just that. I would never have imagined how much joy one could feel simply by being able to stand there on their own decision. My only concern at the moment was if the girl I had tried to kill was still around. Garath seemed alright with forgiving me, but would she?
"Oh by the way," Garath said without turning around. He stopped just at the edge of the exit, causing me to halt right behind him. Curious I listened with newfound childlike curiosity. Finally he turned his head to peer over his shoulder at me, his face serious but still smiling.
"The girl who's body you inhabit was named Julia. Consider that name a gift from her." He said turning back forward.
"Now come on Julia, I'll take you to your new home," He said moving along once more. A new warmth filling up inside me. I followed, determined to never look back.
