Chinami's Thoughts on Miyazaki Division
The world was filled with so many interesting and unique individuals. Probably the most fascinating place in all of the world would have to be right here in Japan. Chinami wondered if it was fate that brought everyone involved with the D.R.B. together. She didn't know, but she couldn't deny that they, like everyone else in the world, had their own stories to tell. She felt like reading a few of them. And what better stories to read than one of the newer divisions to spring up, Miyazaki Division?
Sitting down and speaking the name aloud in her crystal ball, the diviner watched as her orbuculum began playing out images of the Miyazaki Division leader's life. The scene begins by showing a young teenage girl with blonde hair standing in front of a judge in a courtroom. She is wearing an orange jumpsuit and her hands are behind her back, held together with handcuffs. She has a scowl on her face as she listens to the judge hand out her sentencing. She didn't care to listen.
She knew what was going to happen to her. She would spend some time behind bars. She didn't care. That bastard she assaulted had it coming, and she'd gladly do it again. He tried to con her, and nobody does that! No one. She is snapped out of her thoughts as the judge's gavel comes down. She scoffs as she is led out of the courtroom by an officer. The scene then ends.
The scene changes showing the girl from before, though she is a few years older. She is sitting inside a jail cell on a bench, staring at the wall, an amalgamation of different emotions is seen on her face. Anger, sadness, fury, melancholy, and everything else are displayed. She told herself after the last time she was put in jail that she'd never see the inside of a cell again. That she would be like some dog or pet in a freakin' animal shelter. But it was impossible to tell what the future holds. And hey, unlike the previous times when she was arrested, this one she was particularly proud of. Why? Because it proved just how selfless she was.
Two men had been harassing the younger sister of one of her closest friends. She wanted to do the right thing, so she tried going to the police first. But they wouldn't pay attention to her because of her record. They assumed she was just lying or making up stories. So, she did what she always did: she took matters into her own hands. She personally paid those two men a visit, and then... well, let's just say she taught them a lesson they'd keep with them for the rest of their lives. Both in this life and the next. Thinking back on it, the young woman couldn't help but laugh at the shock on their faces. She gave a chuckle as she laid down on the bench, resuming her staring of the small room around her as the scene ends.
The scene opens showing the city of Kyoto on a dark, stormy afternoon. Rain is pouring by the dozens, and there is no one out on the streets right now. ...Well, except for one person. Both them and their entire outfit are completely soaked on account of the rain. Yet, for some reason, the individual pays no attention to that. Their vision is obscured on account of the face being hidden by the hood of their jacket. They continue walking, lumbering towards their destination, wherever that may be. They continue walking until they finally stop at a certain house. Walking up to the house, they ring the doorbell and wait patiently until a young brown-haired girl answers the door. The individual slowly lifts their head revealing a familiar blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman. The girl seems to recognize the woman and lets her in, unaware of the danger she is putting herself and everyone else in the house in. The scene ends as the door to the house closes.
The scene opens showing the young woman from before now a few years older. She is wearing a familiar orange jumpsuit and has handcuffs on her wrists again. She is currently being held by two police officers as they lead her down a long corridor. The woman doesn't fight them. In fact, she doesn't do anything. Her eyes, though were hidden from view, were bloodshot and red. She had committed the gravest of sins. And now... now she was going to pay for them. She didn't know if God existed or not. But if saw, she was going to meet Him. And there was no doubt in her mind that as soon as He looked at her, He was going to probably press a button or pull a switch dropping her from the cloud she was standing on, and look sorrowfully as she plummeted into the deepest, darkest parts of Hell.
The guards continued leading her down the hall, and the door they were heading for seemed to transform, instead leading to some steps that lead up to a guillotine, all primed and ready for someone's head to be firmly separated from their neck. It was a fitting imagery, especially as the three people managed to reach the door. As one held on tightly to the woman, the other unlocked the door, opening it. Continuing their short journey, the three arrived in a small courtyard where the death penalty awaited, the gallows. The Final Destination.
Leading the woman up the stairs to the scaffolding, they placed the woman onto a certain spot, tied a noose around her neck, and placed a white bag over her head. She listened as a priest began speaking the Scripture to her while a court official began listing off her crimes. After he was done, a five-second countdown began. How fitting that her life would be measured in a matter of seconds. As the timer hit '1', she mentally prepared herself to feel herself gasp for lungs of air. She waited... and waited... and waited...
...But nothing ever occurred.
Confused, she soon felt the noose around her neck and the bag on her head removed. As her vision returned, she looked up and was shocked to see a group of Chuohku officials standing before her. The scene then ends.
The scene changes once more, showing the female in her current form sitting in a chair, sewing a piece of fabric. Beside her was a clay statue that had an unfinished dress on it. She smiled as the masterpiece she was working on was nearing completion. But it wasn't just the dress. It was just... life in general. Days like these made it very easy to just forget everything.
...Of course, just because you forget something, doesn't mean that it will go away. In the back of her mind, the young woman knows that she is still guilty and in danger. All her life, she's lived by her own rules. But now... now she must play by someone else's. When the time comes and she must make a choice, will she continue to be an obedient pet? Or will she make a choice that will be her own, but will end her existence?
The scene on the crystal ball plays out showing a young girl of six or seven standing in what looked like a living room in a large house. In her hands was one of the greatest stringed instruments ever to be invented: the violin. In front of her was a much older woman who was holding onto a baton. Tapping it on her stand, she got the young girl's attention and instructed her to get ready. Nodding, the young girl positioned herself, placing the instrument beneath her chin. Exhaling, she then began using her bow on her violin, producing a beautiful melody, which was "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by the German musician and composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. Her eyes are closed as her teacher nods her head, using her baton to guide the young girl. The scene ends as she continues playing.
A new scene opens showing the girl from before. She is a few years older and is wearing an expensive formal dress. She is standing behind a stage curtain, currently sweating as she is filled with anxiety. Even from her place backstage, she could still hear the murmurs of hundreds of people sitting down in the theater seats. Tonight was a very important night as this was her first national tryout. She was going to be judged not only by the people in attendance but also by a special committee that would be watching and judging her closely. She was knocked out of her thoughts as she was told that her turn was approaching. Nodding, the young teenager grabbed her violin and bow as she prepared to step on stage.
As she did, she was momentarily blinded by the bright lights of the auditorium. Walking to the middle of the stage, she could feel thousands and thousands of eyes watching her. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she vaguely tuned on what the announcer was saying. Her eyes scanned the crowd; everyone was a stranger, or someone she had probably met but couldn't recall. But a pair of familiar faces seemed to pop out at her. Her parents, who were smiling at her, as well as the face of a close friend of hers who gave her a goofy grin with a thumbs-up. Feeling the butterflies from her stomach disappeared, the young teen smiled, took a deep breath, and placed her stringed instrument in its proper place on her shoulder. The scene ends as the girl plays the beginning notes of the Irish folk tune, "Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór".
The scene opens up showing a large, spacious bedroom in a mansion. The wall is filled with a variety of posters and pictures. Some are of anime characters from various shows, some are of known and unknown quotes, some are of musical pieces, and some are of famous figures. The room is truly a good place to live. There's just one problem: aside from the wall, everything about the room is in complete disarray. There are clothes scattered everywhere, empty food and drink containers, dirty Kleenex papers, and much else. Who is the cause of all this disorder, however?
The answer: a familiar-looking young female who is seated on a large white bed, though she is now older. She appears to be comatose, as she is staring out at nothing. A scar from a bullet is on the upper part of her chest. She hates it. Why? Because it bears a reminder of the terrible and traumatic ordeal that she was forced through. It's only been a month since then, but it feels like just yesterday. Beaten and held against her will by a man who held her and her friend at gunpoint. ...Her friend...
Thinking back on the woman who had been her best supporter for a number of years, the girl found herself tearing up again. She tried to stop herself to cause herself to forget the memory. But it just wouldn't go away. A violin, situated in the corner of the room, along with its bow, served as a reminder. Finally, the floodgates opened and the girl continued her familiar ritual of letting her tears fall freely from her eyes and down her face. The scene ends as she curls up in her bed.
The scene opens showing the woman in her current form as she is once again on stage, playing her violin. This was the first concert in over six years, and to no surprise to anyone, the stadium was packed as many people had bought tickets to attend this event. The girl continued her playing, an orchestra assisting her from behind, though they were merely side characters in this great display. Though the memory of her friend's departure is never far from her mind, the young woman still finds comfort in the memories she had before her sudden exit from this world.
...But as nice as memories are, that is all they are. They cannot be anything more than pictures in one's mind that they shift through, like an album. And sometimes, the bad memories are at the forefront of one's mind. With that being said, can the young woman ever move past the event? Will she be able to truly live a life worthy of her friend? Or is her entire existence to be spent jumping and shying away from strange figures all her life every time she walks down a street?
The crystal ball adheres to the name, and begins by playing out a scene of a young girl who is no more than four or five. She is trailing behind two older girls with similar features to her. She follows them a short distance until they all arrive at their destination: a botanical garden. The young girl's face is alight as she takes in the sights of the natural wonder. It was astonishing how, despite how much humanity puts effort into destroying things, they were also able to create miracles such as this. Looking up, the girl happily took the older women's hands as they led her deeper into the garden. The scene then ends.
The scene opens up showing the girl from before several years older. She is shown sweeping the steps of an ancient shrine that was still very well-maintained. After accepting her grandparents' offer to work in their family shrine, the young girl began training as a miko, a shrine priestess. She's nowhere near finishing her training, but she enjoys it well enough. She doesn't know why, but there is a sense of peace at this shrine that she experiences here that she can't feel anywhere else. She hasn't felt this way since she was a child, playing with her older sisters. The young woman looks up as an elderly woman calls for her from inside the shrine. She nods with a smile, sets her broom off to the side, and walks inside to continue her training. The scene ends shortly after.
A new scene appears, showing the shrine priestess, though she is a few years older. However, the serenity and pleasantness that made her who she is, is now gone. It is replaced by feelings of anxiety and despair with a pinch of worthlessness added to the mix. She is walking home to her grandparents' house after having another... surprise meeting with her boyfriend. She was grateful it didn't last long. Usually, the... discipline he administered to her was a lot more... permanent. But these... rubbing the bruises on her arms, these should heal quickly enough, right? And if anyone asked, she could just give her usual response: she fell. It always worked.
Returning to the house, she unlocked the front entrance and entered into her adobe. She was expecting to see smiling faces as she walked in and headed for the family room. But... what she saw instead was the frowns and serious faces of her older sisters and the matriarch of the household, her grandmother. She looked shocked as her older sister suddenly grabbed her right wrist and pulled down her sleeve. She looked as her sisters' eyes grew wide at the bruises and marks on her arms. The priestess looked at her older sister's face, and then looked as the older woman rushed past her, shocking her. Running past, she looked as the woman had already jumped into her car, started the engine, and drove off somewhere. The priestess could only watch as the car disappeared. The scene ended as the priestess's heart was filled with worry and trepidation.
The scene opens showing the woman in her current form. She is sitting on her legs in her priestess uniform as sakura petals flow in the wind. Her eyes are closed as she is meditating. Suddenly, she feels something land in her lap and looks as it is her pet fox. She smiles and picks up the small mammal whose tail is wagging happily. She seems a lot happier since the last time she was seen. And though it took a while, she has managed to heal from the trauma she has experienced.
...But has she really? Though physical wounds heal, mental wounds are still fresh, no matter how much time has passed. Will the priestess be able to rely on her faith to forgive and forget her past? Or will the wounds inflicted upon her by her tormentor continue to have a firm grip on her forever?
Humming softly to herself, the diviner lets her hands search for the correct tarot cards to reveal as she attempts to divine the fates of Miyazaki division. After several minutes, she flips three of the 78 cards over. The first is a familiar card, and it features a woman with a crown holding onto a sword and a pair of scales, upside-down (The Justice - Reversed). The second card features a woman with her head in her hands (Nine of Swords). The third card features a woman bound and blindfolded (Eight of Swords).
The crystal ball then begins playing significant moments in Beautiful Nightmare's lives. Himari rapping on stage alongside the other members of the Darling Divaz, Rinko playing on stage alongside her friend, Roka, and Kyoko finishing her training and becoming an official shrine maiden. All three women are drawn together by not only friendship, but hardship in each of their lives. However, though they are not in chains, there are still in bondage by forces much stronger than them. Will they, together, be able to break free of these bonds? Or will they collapse under the burdens they curry? Only time will tell...
