Chapter 2: Dimensions

“It's hard, isn't it?” A voice called out as Sagaa Sozo returned from the courtyard. Tilted his head, saw a ghost standing behind him. “Who are you?” Sozo asked. “Are ghosts here also like to mind other people’s affairs?” The ghost chuckled. “Forgive me for not introducing myself properly Captain Sagara, I'm one of the officers here, in charge of ghosts admittance and reincarnations, my name is Kitkat, it's my honor finally meeting you.” The man called Kitkat bowed slightly. “Kitkat?” Sozo frowned slightly hearing his name. “What kind of name is that? Are you not Japanese? Your clothing does look very different from mine.” Kitkat simply smiled at him, then pulled out a red plastic package from his pocket, on the packet it says “Kitkat”. “Wait….don't tell me…” he blinked. He wanted to ask more but he found himself hard to, he has already been rude enough with his behaviour earlier. “It's chocolate from foreign country,” Kitkat kindly explained. “You see, when you die you come to a place that is like a Common Ground, in here you not only see ghosts of all living things and from all times as well, that's why it needs officers like me to help keep track and regulate order and peace, or it would be chaos. In this Common Ground, ghosts can meet from all times and places, and that's why when they were to reborn into next life, they are required to drink a special soup, that will erase all the memories away. And well, it also depends on how good their memories are, some forgotten themselves faster than others, and sometimes it's just a trickery of minds.” He paused and looked at silent Sozo, who has been wearing a blank expression once he started explanation. “Would you like to try? It's quite good actually. There is a shop, but since it's from the future, it is kinda far and a pain to travel.” He opened the package and tore him a piece, “here, try it.” Sozo stared at it for a moment before taking it off from Kitkat’s hand, “thank you,” he popped to his mouth. “It's sweet, but it's good.” “See? I told you so!” Kitkat beamed at Sozo’s response. “Anyway, you must be wondering why I'm here, I'm actually looking for you. I think the Boss here likes you, he knows and understands you well, and he's asking if you want to be reborn, starting a new life. He finds a pity you died so young, and your life before….who you were, what you did, they are all buried by the new Meiji government, it's like they wiped out your existence, hardly anyone will remember you or Sekihotai group, let alone show any appreciation. So,” he paused and looked at Saizo, “what do you say? You are an exception, usually one has to wait for hundreds of years for this to come, and yet you've only been here for five months. So?” Sozo looked at the man in front of him, a long silence is shared. “Why?” He finally asked, in a soft spoken voice. “I'm sure there are many like me, like my comrades, for example. Would my men get this opportunity as well? You have to give me more than that. And besides,” he paused and turned his back, raised his head to look at the dark gloomy sky, “I don't think I'm ready, not ready to reborn, not in this mental state….I'm mad at Kyo, but I had faults too, I wasn't a good husband, nor was I a good husband.” An arm placed on his shoulder, “that's exactly the reason why you should take up this offer, not as a reborn, but as a relive, as yourself, Sagara Sozo.” “How? When I'm dead? What's the meaning to relive there as a ghost when no one know me or cannot even see me? And relive under the new government….sorry I would like to pass…” “No,” Kitkat shook his head, “not in that era. And there is one other reason you are an exception, you have been called.” “Called? By who?” “Tell me, have you had any dreams recently?” Hearing this, Sozo turned to face him again, “many nights, the last scene of my life played over and over again. I tried not to think but I can't help but to think, it feels like it's sending me a message but what? Perhaps it serves me as a reminder for myself of what a fool I was.” “The message is there, but it's the opposite.” Kitkat changed his light-hearted tone to a serious one. “I will take you somewhere and show you something, the Dream Space. That space has no boundaries of Heavens, Hell, or Earth, nor time or space. You are been called by someone, who is like a clairvoyant, but she's actually a space-walker, she can travel in between dimensions though she might not know it herself. Sagara Sozo, she walked into your dream. I'll watch your dream with you, you shall go find her. Through her, you might find a chance.” Sozo did not respond. “You better decide fast, while her ability is strongest at this time, once it's passed it’s passed. Aren't you curious who that someone might be? What kind of person she is yet she called to you? I mean, she doesn't even know you.” “So how do I know which one is her? There were many onlookers in my dream.” “You will know….that's how it works, trust your instincts. But oh yes before we go we go buy some apple cider and drink it first. She likes the drink. It kinda serves a connection to her dream without she knowing that she's been watched.”

1 At the Gate of Hell

Sozo found himself standing at a unfamiliar place. It is almost completely dark with only few flowing red and green fires floating around. Gradually, his eyes adjusted to the darkness around him, he began able to trace the surroundings slowly. Before him stood an ancient stone bridge, with trees and bushes on the sides and a river flowing underneath. This is a new unfamiliar place to him, he's sure he haven't been here before. So how did he get here? The last thing he remembered was at the market square before he went unconscious. Closed his eyes and his memories flooded back to him. Some scenes were just too clear to him. “If this is Hell, then I guess I'm dead.” He sighed and shook his head, and looked again to he bridge in front of him, and watched some other ghosts passing by. Well there's no use standing here, he followed the others. Perhaps he will find his comrades for a reunion, hell why not? ❀❀❀ ❀❀❀ ❀❀❀ ❀❀❀ Sozo adjusted to his new life in this new place very quickly. As it turned out, this might be thought as Hell for its darkness but that basically just means a common ground for all men who died. Once one arrived one will be asked to attend to the Great Hall and be judged and sorted to which kind of life one will get during one’s stay here. The period of a ghost staying depends on one’s past life and behaviour during the stay. But if one chose to end one’s own life, then it will be marked to some degree of sin, depending on the reason behind it. And Sozo did later find out sadly, his wife took their son and threw themselves to river after his death. He asked and was granted for a permit to visit them. The place of those with sins are held at is very different to his: dark and cold, and labor work is required to pay off the sins committed. Face to face with his wife, sadness came over him. He left her and their son for the ideal he was fighting for, thought it was the right thing to do. Though they did not marry out of love, he still felt regret for the pain he might have caused them. But still, taking her own life? And their son’s too? “Kyo….why?” As much as he tried to stay calm, but he found it hard looking at her ashen face, white lips and cold eyes. She was nothing like how he remembered, at least, not those eyes. His lips trembled and voice shaken as he asked. “Is it….because of me? Because of my death? I never imagined for you to following me….not like this, no…I apologize, for the pain I've caused, and for my absence in your life.” “Following you sir?” She answered him back with a cold eerie voice. She chuckled lightly, but her eyes were not laughing at all. “Don't make me laugh mister!” She snapped, “perhaps you are stil thinking too highly of yourself, Captain Sagara of False Government Army.” Hearing her cold spoken words, he looked at her, shocked. “After you were executed, everyday I was laughed by neighbors by the people in town. I let you go and believed you would do good for the country, and yet you went and defied the government. I felt so ashamed, you have no idea. I regret for being your wife. I regret for let you come into my life.” He couldn't help himself anymore and placed his hands on her shoulders, “Kyo….are those your honest feelings? You trust in what they are saying?” She didn't answer, she simply flinched and stepped back to shake free from his hold. “Please,” he let her go, voice a bit gentler, “Kyo, answer me?” She nodded. “Yes, I believe in the government, I believe with my own eyes. And don't call me by my name again, I don't like it Sagara Sozo.” Looking at her, he slowly withdrew his held out arms. Some time of silence passed. Then he quietly asked, “then answer my last question, where's our son? Is he well?” She nodded. “The officers here took him as an exception and let someone took care of him, for he is innocent in this matter…excuse me, I do need to go back to work, I've wasted too much time here.” She turned and walked into darkness and he could only watch her go. He couldn't find any words to say back to her last comment. He stood alone in the courtyard, paid no attention to the workers nearby. “Of course,” he mumbled to himself, “because our son is innocent, because he's innocent…haha…” He laughed quietly, tears streaming down on cheeks. Perhaps there's a reason the officers didn't send his son to his care, nor even bothered to tell him the reason. Perhaps it was for his son’s good, or for his own good, or for both. He doesn't expect his young son to understand the truth, but it's better to let his son hates him like his mother does rather than hates the mother, for he was majorly absence in his life. To his son, the mother is the one he loved and trusted the most. And he doesn't want that bond between them broken now because of him. “So I don't have a family now, the only ones I have, are my men, my brothers, for eternity.” He looked up to the dark sky, “my dear son, wherever you are, I wish you happiness and safe growing-up in here. Perhaps we can meet again in next life, I will do my best to make up to you.” Slowly he turned himself and picked up his feet, the courtyard is now left to original. The world he does not belong.

Prelude

The day was cold, with the wind howling and falling of heavy snow. It was almost spring, but a cold wind was blowing. The man thought this as he dragged his feet with the others: his comrades, and the government officers. He was cold alright, with face pale as snow and whole body felt numb from the cold. His hands were frozen but he there was nothing he can do about it as they were handcuffed. The only part of his body that he could actually feel are his legs, as he tried his best to drag them along the heavy snow, but even that did not leave enough footprints to mark his own existence. And even that was forced, a corner of his lip curled up.

“Hurry up! Keep moving would y'all?” One of the officers yelled in the background. The man doesn't know who it was, and he doesn't care. He and his comrades walked in silence, no words were exchanged, as they were unnecessary. Saying anything now would not change their current condition, and the men knew each other well enough to know their feels and thoughts on this matter.

The man didn't know how long nor how far they walked, but they finally reached a town’s market square, as soon as they arrived, they were put in position, each trapped within the wooden frame, they were going to be executed, precisely put, beheaded.

"Sagara Sozo,” said one of the government officers, “as the captain of Sekihotai, do you know your crime? Speak now and may the heavens ease your pain in your death, may you suffer less in after life.”

The man, Sagara Sozo lightly chuckled, tilted his head to look across the muttering crowd, then head up to have one last look at the blue sky, “crimes? I've done no crimes, nor my men.”

"Do you then deny your return service to the government? You False Government Army?”

"The one that is in false and deceived people is you. The promise of reduction of taxes, the equalization of the four classes,” he paused for a moment, then spoke in a low voice, “you were the one giving me that dream, made me believe of it coming through, and you were the one taking it back. My whole life, I and my men have been working and fought toward this ideal….and yet this is our end. The day is cold alright,but even the howling wind and heavy snow cannot compare to the coldness in the hearts…”

Those were his last words, as he was cut off so suddenly, the others that were with him soon followed. In the heavy snow day like this, traces and scent of blood can be buried overnight.

The wind still howled and snow kept falling, everything remains the same, just no more Sekihotai, no more Sagara Sozo.