Well, here's the second part. I decided to make this three parts long, so there's still going to be more. This'll have to do for now, of course.
Part 2Ami looked around. ?
Where am I??
The thick mist enveloped them, and no matter which way Ami looked, it was all she could see. Was it day, or was it night? There was no way of telling-- nor was there any way of telling where she was, or where she was going.
?
Wait a second. I... I was in the hospital, wasn't I? Is this a dream??
Ami looked at her hands. Pale, translucent, ethereal. She looked up at the woman rowing the boat. Standing up, she approached Komachi and tried to tap her on the shoulder. To Ami's horror, her hand did not stop where Komachi's shoulder began, but went straight through her.
Komachi looked down at the immaterial hand protruding through her. She turned around and saw the look on the terrified girl's face.
?Can I help you??
Ami opened her mouth to answer, but found that she was still unable to speak.
Komachi snickered at the poor girl's expense. ?I-I'm sorry-- ahahahaha-- it's just too easy! Try all ya want, but it's not gonna work, kiddo. You have other ways of communicating, don't you??
The expression on Ami's face went from fright to frustration as she tried to figure out how to communicate. Komachi stopped rowing for a moment and simply stood there as the spectral young lady resorted to playing an awkward game of charades to get her point across. Ami flailed her arms around with frantic intensity, running out of ideas. Then, it dawned on her. She held up her hands to Komachi, and silently clapped them together. She then prompted Komachi to hold up her own hand. Once she did so, Ami thrust her own hand right through it. She looked expectantly at the amused woman.
?...Are you trying to get me to dance with you or something??
Ami glared and swiped her hand through Komachi's head.
?Okay, okay! I was just kidding! Calm down. The dead really have no sense of humor, do they??
Ami froze up. ?
D-did she just say... no. She didn't just say I was... dead, did she? No. No, wait. This has to be another dream. It has to be. I'm... I'm still in the hospital... right? Right?!?
She reached up and pinched herself on the cheek. Surely that would wake her up.
Komachi sat there and watched, looking like she hadn't been entertained like this in ages.
Ami pinched herself again, only harder this time.
?
...I'm still here.?
She held a hand up to her chest. No heartbeat. Not only that, but it had suddenly dawned on her that her chest no longer hurt, as well. Ami slumped down onto the floor of the boat. So this was it. So she was... she was dead.
Figuring that she wasn't going to get any more amusement from the girl, Komachi spoke up.
?I-I suppose it hadn't occurred to you, yet. My apologies, kid.? She sheepishly scratched the back of her head and decided it was best to leave the poor girl alone for a while. Komachi turned around and started rowing again.
Ami sat with her knees drawn toward her chest, and buried her face in her hands. She had held it in long enough. She began crying, harder than she had ever done in that hospital room. It was at this moment that she had realized that the life she felt was wasted was now over.
?
She sat there, voicelessly wailing for what felt like hours-- or days, even. There really was no way of telling how much time had passed, or how far they had gone on the river-- the fog really did seem endless.
Ami's thoughts, however, were all but voiceless.
?
So I'm dead. It's really over. What a waste of a life. I... I accomplished nothing. I spent my life being completely useless and absolutely dependent on others. I was never given the chance to do anything I dreamed of. I never got to make anyone smile. I never had my chance to smile, either. I never got to help anyone. No one never needed me. I really was useless, wasn't I? I suppose it's a good thing I never got close to anyone. A burden like me never deserved to be close to anyone, anyway. ...Does anyone even care that I'm gone? Of course not. You can't miss what never had any value to begin with. I... I never fell in love. I never got married. I never got to do anything, at all. This is... this is it.?
Ami slumped over on the floor of the boat. She closed her eyes and wished it all away, a feat she knew to be futile, but she didn't care. She would trade anything to make everything go away. Even though she had nothing to give in exchange.
All of a sudden, a thought arose in her mind.
?
Wait. If I'm dead... why am I here? Why am I still... I'm not alive, but I'm definitely still aware of what's going on around me. What's going on??
Komachi spoke again. ?We're getting closer.?
Ami looked around to see the mist dissipate, slowly but surely. She began to be able to see the faint outline of the banks of the river to the right and left. Traces of red began to appear, the more the fog went away. She still had no idea where she was going, however.
Komachi interrupted Ami's thoughts and observations. ?I may as well give you a little sound advice. A pep talk, if you will.?
Ami looked up. A pep talk? What was she going on about, now? Why was she talking to her, anyway? It's not like she could respond, anyway. It was sort of cruel. Then again... Komachi looks pretty bored. She must do this for every one in Gensokyo who dies. That had to be dull...
?I suppose the most important thing,? Komachi continued, ?is that you remain totally honest at all times. Tell no lies, and acknowledge your faults with an open heart. Trust me, this is for your own good.?
Ami stared at Komachi, perplexed. ?
Honest? Who am I going to be honest with? Who am I going to see, and what are they going to do to me? I'm... I'm already dead, after all. There's not like much they can do to me, after all. And what about my faults? What have I done wrong? And if I have done wrong, hasn't my life been punishment enough? What is going on??
The hazy opacity laced along the landscape lifted even further. Ami could see the banks of the river clearly now, and the traces of red she saw earlier appeared to be tall, scarlet flowers. She was surprised at how pretty they were. Had she seen these before in the hospital garden? She couldn't help but stare with great interest.
?Ah, you've spotted the higanbana, haven't you? Glad you like them, because we've got a lot of 'em!? Komachi kept rowing, and the fog kept lifting.
After a short while longer, the river began to come to an end.
?Thank you for riding the Sanzu Express, please wait until the Titanic has come to a complete and full stop before getting off, and we hope you have a nice eternity!? Komachi happily sang as she guided the boat to the bank of the river, and gestured for Ami to step out.
?
Wait a second,? Ami thought. ?
Did she just say ?eternity?? This doesn't sound good, at a-- wait, ?Titanic??? She looked at the small boat that Komachi had been rowing this entire time. ?
Yeah, I'm definitely losing my mind. So... ugh. What's going to happen now??
She didn't have much time to think.
?Well, come on,? the red-haired woman said, picking up a large scythe. She must not have noticed it until now, but it certainly did not help to alleviate any worries Ami had at the moment. ?We shouldn't keep her waiting.?
?
K-keep who waiting? And what the hell are you doing with that scythe?!? Ami flailed her arms around again, in panic.
Komachi stopped looked back at the wildly-gesturing girl in amusement, yet again.
?Oh, this?? She twirled the scythe happily. ?Don't worry, I'm not going to use this on you. You amuse me too much.?
?
That isn't much of a relief, you know.?
They walked among the higanbana for a while, which Ami would have found to be immensely enjoyable if she wasn't so terrified of what was going on around her. They really were very pretty, these flowers. At the same time, they gave her a melancholy feeling, reminding her of the life she had passed from.
?
Dr. Yagokoro... I'm sorry. I never said goodbye.?
Finally, they had reached their destination.
A calm, yet firm voice pulled Ami back to attention.
?Hello, Amaryllis. Welcome to Higan.?
?
Ami turned her head away from the flowers toward the voice to find herself facing a woman in a deep blue uniform, adorned with gold decorations and red and white ribbons along her waist and hem of her skirt. Atop her dark green hair sat a fancy-looking hat. She was sitting on top of a large desk with her long, magnificent legs crossed, apparently waiting for Komachi and Ami to arri--
?You're late, Komachi.?
?Eiki-sama! Erm... forgive me, but she was just too funny, I had to stop and watch her for a while!?
The stern-looking woman just stared at Komachi.
?I'll... um... go back and ferry my next victi-- I-I mean, next soul to you.? She ran back to the so-called ?Titanic? and rowed off.
She turned back to Ami with a small smile, but with obvious irritation in her eyes.
?She's probably off to go take a nap. I'm going to have to give her yet another lecture on the importance of diligence..? she sighed. ?Regardless. I am Shikieiki Yamaxanadu, the judge of the dead-- the Supreme Judge of Hell. My job is to decide your final destination for eternity, based on the actions of your former life.?
She stood up from the desk, walked to the large chair behind it, and sat down. Ami noticed that there were two vases on the desk-- an ivory one to the left, and an onyx one to the right. Oddly enough, she noticed that there was nothing in either of them.
Shikieiki picked up a rod that was sitting on the desk and pointed it at Ami. ?Please come here,? she commanded.
Ami stood before the judge. There was something about her that made her think that even if she could speak, she'd be too awestruck to say anything-- Shikieiki just had that powerful of an appearance. Yet, at the same time, she didn't find herself scared of her, for reasons she could not understand. Could it be the tone of her voice?
The Yama picked up a rod from her desk and held it to her lips, and spoke again. ?It is now time to pass judgment on you, Amaryllis.? For someone with such a calm voice, Ami could tell that she was nothing but serious.
Okay,
now she was scared. How was she going to go about doing this? Was she going to be tortured or interrogated? What if she was guilty of something? Would she be sent to hell for that? She remembered what Komachi said.
?
I need to be honest and acknowledge my faults. That's all... right??
Shikieiki held up a mirror and gestured toward Ami to face it.
?This mirror reveals all of your deeds from your past life-- good and bad. With this, we shall discover where you belong.?
At that moment, the trial began.
End of Chapter I, Part 2. ---
I'll have this finished as soon as I have the time. :ohdear: