The Fields of Silence

The trio from Yosai Village had caught a train from Tsuribazi Township after arriving there in the late afternoon. Kyo had been ecstatic about the novelty of it - she'd never been on one before, nor journeyed to the capital. The steaming and elegant engine sped along the tracks, pulling four carriages along behind it. The carriages were comfortably decorated, with large windows on either side to allow passengers to view the scenery.

It was less than half an hour out of the township that the train passed to the north of the Fields of Silence. Even atop the small hill that the tracks ran along, the cemetery stretched farther than they could see. The gravestones disappeared over a hilltop, continuing on past the horizon.

The sight was both beautiful and solemn. The graveyard was abloom with beautiful flowers and blossoming trees, but the sight of so many graves... it was haunting.

The fields of silence were home to the graves of soldiers from thousands of years of internal and external strife. Between the rows of graves, the occasional figure could be seen walking. The Guardians of Silence were responsible for maintaining the cemetary, and protecting it from any who would defile it. They were masked in white, and never spoke while on duty.

After a long silence, the graves drifting by as the train moved on, Kyo let out a deep breath. "I'd only ever heard about this place. I thought that it was an exaggeration that you couldn't see its end, but ... seeing it for myself. It's almost unbelievable."

Zhiya, seated across from Kyo, gazed out of the window with a pensive expression etched onto her face. Her hands were folded atop her lap, one hand grasping the fingers of the other. "Every one of those graves has a story," she said to Kyo, never taking her eyes from the sight. "It's an overwhelming thought."

Breaking the somber mood between the girls, Masaeyu flopped onto Kyo's shoulder, green in the face. "Y'know what else is an overwhelming thought?" he slurred. "M'stomach on this train."

Zhiya closed her eyes in disgust.

Kyo jabbed Masaeyu in the side, "Masa! Have some respect. There are times in life when you ought not be worrying about your stomach so much." she muttered, shaking her head.

The graves continued to roll past as the train shot onwards. By the time their end came into sight, the start had disappeared behind them.

"There's always times to be worrying about your stomach when you're riding on a mechanical beast," he spat, flinching away when Kyo got him in the side.

Zhiya kept looking on at the graves. "I didn't even know we would be passing it. How fast does this train go, for how long we've been seeing the rows of tombstones?" Her head shook, ponytail draping over her shoulder. "Do they serve tea on the train? You've been on it before, right, Kyo?"

"Fast." was Kyo's only response, shaking her head. "But no, I've never been on one before. I don't think they serve tea, though. Probably not unless you have first class tickets."

Finally, they reached the edge of the cemetary, and left the fields of silence behind them as they moved on towards the capital.