Terrifying Dream
"Hahaha! You're too slow, Ichi-nii! You can't catch me like that!"
"Whoa! Almost got me there!"
"Watch out! Hehe!"
Eh? What was that? Did it come from the Toushirous' room?
I slide open the door slightly and take a peek inside.
A sigh escapes my lips as I see everyone playing around with Ichigo who is trying to catch them and make them go to bed. It seems that he's not fairing very well against his brothers hehe.
I decide to enter the room. "Hey now, what are you all doing at this hour in the evening? It's the time for you guys to be sleeping already; you'll all need a lot of energy for tomorrow's lessons and duties."
"Ah, Aruji-sama!" Ichigo says in surprise as he gets tackled by Atsushi from behind and falls to the ground. "Please forgive my brothers! They're quite a handful tonight..."
"It's okay, I wasn't asleep nor are they all noisy enough to be heard thru out the corridors. I was just on my way to get a glass of water when I heard some voices coming from this room when I passed by."
"Eh? Are you working late again tonight?"
I give him a nod. "It seems to be the case."
Suddenly, a little one approaches me. "Aruji-sama...?" Akita yawns after rubbing his eye.
"Oh, it isn't good to rub your eye like that; it will get damaged. You woke up from the ruckus your brothers made, didn't you? Here, let me bring you back to bed, Akita."
I pick him up who then rests his head on my shoulder with his eyes closed as I carry him over to his futon.
"Aruji-sama, let me do that instead." Ichigo says.
"No need, it's okay; I don't mind at all. In fact, I'd like to be able to spend more time with everyone and do things for them." I chuckle a little. "It would be nice if I wasn't so busy these days."
I tuck Akita to bed and give him a little goodnight kiss on his forehead.
"I'd like to be tucked into bed by you too, Aruji-sama." Hirano says.
"Is that so? Okay, shall you go to bed now so that I can send you off to sleep? Hehe."
"Thank you, Aruji-sama."
"Can I also be tucked to bed by you, Aruji-sama?" Maeda asks.
"Of course, Maeda. Here we go."
"You two shouldn't allow yourselves to become spoiled by Aruji-sama." Ichigo says as he watches me tuck the two to bed.
"You're just jealous of them, Ichi-nii. Deep inside, you want to be tucked into bed too by Aruji-sama. Haha." Gotou says.
"Gotou's right. The jealousy is written on your face!" Shinano says.
"W-What?! Stop spewing lies about me!"
Gotou smirks and says in a sarcastic tone, "Lies he says! Ichi-nii is a bad liar; no one will believe you with an expression like that."
"Aruji-sama, can you please sleep here with us? Please?" Gokotai asks as he pulls my kimono's sleeve.
I pat his head gently. "I'm sorry Gokotai, but I can't sleep here with all of you."
He lets go of my sleeve and becomes a little disappointed. "Oh...But why not? It would be nice if you could spend the night here with us."
"Well..." I look around the room. "This room is meant for you and your brothers; there's no space for me here."
"You can always share a bed with me. It would be an honor for sure! Having you by my bedside would be the most comfortable slumber I've ever had." Yagen says happily as he pats the space beside him on his futon.
He then suddenly gets hit on the head by Ichigo.
"Ouch! What did you do that for, Ichi-nii?"
"Don't play dumb with me! You know why I hit you!"
It looks painful; I hope Yagen's alright. The wrath of the strawberry sure is scary; Ichigo seems more irritated than usual.
Yagen suddenly goes over to me and hugs me.
"Taichou! Ichi-nii hit me! He hit my head! It hurts so much. Would you soothe my pain?"
"Umm, well..." I decide to hug him back and pat his head. "Umm...There, there."
"Ah, your touch is always so gentle and comforting, taichou; I feel like I've been healed already! Perhaps I should just go to you when I'm injured instead of the infirmary."
"You let go right this instant!" Ichigo takes Yagen away and tucks him tightly into bed.
"Ichi-nii...so tight...can't breathe..."
"You're a strong one, aren't you Yagen? I'm sure you can endure till morning. Goodnight and sleep well, my dear brother!" Ichigo's smile is painted wide across his face
"Demon...strawberry...!"
Ichigo adjusts the blanket over Yagen; it looks like he made it even tighter. I hope he can breathe.
"Aruji-sama! If space is the problem, we'll make some for you!" Midare says.
He goes over to his futon and spreads it as much as he can; he then puts the others' futon closer to each other.
"There we go! Now there's space for you here, Aruji-sama."
"Aww, thank you very much for your effort, Midare; I appreciate it but I still cannot sleep here. Anyway, you all have Ichi-nii here and my room is not very far from here so if you ever need me, just call for me and I can come here in no time."
"But..." Midare pouts.
"Now, now, it's time for bed. Go on, all of you; off to bed you all go. Sleep well and look forward to the new day ahead of us."
"I'll be going to your room in the morning again to braid your hair as usual, Aruji-sama." Midare says happily as he gets into bed.
"Okay. Thank you as always for braiding my hair every day, Midare. Having hair that's of ankle length is quite troublesome to braid by myself."
"No problem! Kashuu and I enjoy styling your hair and fixing you up too!"
"Aruji-sama's hair really is long. Why won't you cut it shorter so that it's easier to manage?" Hakata asks.
"I've always had my hair long so I think I'd feel uncomfortable with short hair. Also, it has a sort of value or meaning for me so I can't bring myself to cut it. Hmm, I think Midare and Kashuu will become quite sad if I cut my hair too." I chuckle a little.
"I see." He thinks for a moment. "So that's why we never get to see Aruji-sama with her hair untied; Midare and Kashuu always tie it in the morning."
"I bet Aruji-sama's hair is beautiful." Gokotai says.
"It sure is! It's long and soft! Kashuu and I cherish her hair a lot!" Midare says.
"It's not fair that Midare and Kashuu get to go to Aruji-sama's room." Hakata says.
"Yamanbagiri visits Aruji-sama when he's depressed." Midare says.
"I heard...that Yasusada...and Taroutachi...have been to her room..." Yagen says as he gasps for air.
"Tsurumaru gets to go to her room too." Honebami says after a yawn.
"It's more like he just barges into Aruji-sama's room whenever he feels like it." Namazuo scratches his head.
"I wish I could go into Aruji-sama's room. I always wanted to know what it looks like inside and what does she do inside." Shinano sighs.
"One thing's for sure, Ichi-nii has never been to her room either." Gotou says.
The Toushirou brothers, except Ichigo, giggle all of a sudden. Were they sharing jokes or something? I couldn't hear their conversations since they were whispering to one another.
"Aruji-sama, can you tell us a story tonight?" Maeda asks.
"I would love to but I'm currently going thru some important documents; I have to read them all and make a report to summarize everything by tomorrow afternoon."
"Is it really important?"
"Yes, it is. It's the information I've received from everyone from their expeditions and battles as well as the ones I've gained myself. I'm also checking our expenses and budget. I promise that I'll have a bedtime story for you all tomorrow; one that's exciting and adventurous. I'll make it two if I can come up with a second one!"
"It would be nice if they have a happy ending!" Gokotai says with a gentle smile on his face.
"How about a story where a group of bandits or an opposing army ambush a village or a castle and sends the whole place into a blaze while they..." Atsushi says.
In an instant, Honebami and Namazuo stabs Atsushi with their sharp piercing glare and buries him under some pillows.
"H-Hey! He'll suffocate if you do that! You two, help me dig him out!" Ichigo says
"No way." Namazuo says as he shakes his head.
"I refuse." Honebami says bluntly with a straight face.
"Wha! Don't worry and stay calm! Nii-chan is coming to save you!" Ichigo hurriedly removes the pillows to look for Atsushi who's buried deep under.
"He's going to get killed someday if he doesn't think about what he's going to say carefully." Hirano says.
"That's true." Maeda nods as he fixes his blanket a little. "Goodnight, Aruji-sama."
"Goodnight to all of you. No more horsing around, okay? Sleep well and have pleasant dreams."
"Goodnight!"
Hearing their replies thru their voices always makes me feel happy; how wonderful it would be for these simple gestures and words to continue on every day and night.
They all close their eyes and slowly drift to sleep.
It's good to see them relaxed like this. Though they are active and cheerful by day, I know that they are on their feet all the time in case of sudden troubles. It's nice to see them relax and be vulnerable from time to time.
I stand up and make my way to the door. "You should go ahead and sleep as well, Ichigo. You'll need all the rest that you can get since you'll be at the front lines tomorrow."
"I will shortly. I would say the same to you, Aruji-sama; you've been working till late these past nights. I understand that you have certain duties that need to be done immediately but if you don't get enough sleep, then you won't be able to function well and you might get sick. Please be wary of your health, Aruji-sama."
"Hehe, you're starting to sound like Hasebe; he too said the same this morning. Do not worry. I'm perfectly fine and I do get to indulge in some naps during the day from time to time."
"Still...Aruji-sama, you are the type to ignore your health when concentrated on your duties. Before, you would not sleep for two straight days, you would forget to bathe, and you would not eat properly. Nowadays, I've noticed that you've been skipping some meals again due to the loss of appetite which is probably caused by your lack of sleep and fatigue."
"Please don't look at me with such a worried face. I'm alright and full of energy! I promise to stop skipping meals starting tomorrow. I give you the right to confiscate my work if I have not eaten yet." I chuckle a little. "Would that be fine with you?"
"Okay. Goodnight, Aruji-sama."
"Goodnight! Good luck in looking for your futon though." I point at his brothers who mixed and laid out all of the futons together on the floor while we were talking.
"What?! These little rascals! Not only can I not find which is my futon but where am I going to lie down?! They've taken all the space! Sigh..."
I pat his back before leaving the room to get a glass of water.
The hallway seems to be so wide without everyone walking around. I often forget how big this place is since it has gradually been gaining more people to live in it. Livelier and livelier, that is how this place has become over time. Though many have come and gone here before in the past, I alone have been able to stay here all this time; among my comrades, I have been the only one so far to have successfully survived here for a long period of time. Perhaps this place will one day become my permanent residence or perhaps it already has become so. Will I live long enough to see the end of this war or will I die just like the other Saniwas that used to be here with me? Haha...That question has haunted me since I realized that no one came back after that siege two years ago. Until now, I still wonder why they made me stay here on that day instead of joining them in battle.
Wha! The kitchen is so clean today! I should check who were in charge of cleaning duties today and praise them tomorrow! This is the cleanest state that I've seen the kitchen reach in a long time; so cool. Now, where are the glasses? Ah, there they are. A nice cool glass of water really hits the spot all the time. I'll have a refill and bring it back with me to my room in case I get thirsty again.
As I walk back thru the corridor, my mind goes back to thinking about different things. Sigh, this is why I prefer not to be left alone; I end up thinking about things too much when I'm by myself.
It seems the Toushirous are sleeping soundly. That's good to know. Hm? There's a light coming from the Samonjis' room. Are they still awake? This would be the first time I'd see them awake this late; they usually sleep on time and wake up early in the morning.
I slightly slide their door open and see the three fast asleep. They must have forgotten to close their light.
I put down my glass of water by the door and slowly creep inside to turn off their light.
Oh, Sayo's blanket isn't covering him properly. He'll feel cold this way. There we go, that should keep him warm; his sleeping face is so cute! Sleep well, Sayo.
I return to the hallway and continue on with my glass of water.
Giving them all the gift of life to fight for this war was the one and only objective before but as time passed, I've made it as my second objective to let them experience what it's like to live as a human being; I want them to enjoy and learn more things other than to fight. I want them to live as much as they can and to make as much joyous memories as they can for when this war finishes in victory, I will be forced to return them from where they came; I will have to take back the form I've given them and return them as the swords.
I stop walking midway the hallway and find myself staring down at the floor.
Somehow, that thought seems to be depressing. With no war, there is no need to have the swords here in their current form; no war means that there's no use for warriors. When the time comes, will I be able to let go of them and bring them back from where they came from? Will I be able to bid them farewell wholeheartedly after all this? Will I really be able to say goodbye for good? Do I have to say goodbye to everyone?
No matter how hard I try to think of an answer, no matter how long I stare at the floor, I could only arrive at one answer that seems to be unfavorable for my heart; that answer is undoubtedly the only one as of now.
This war truly is not good for them...nor for me.
"Wha!" I jump in surprise as a loud sound escapes from the room across the Samonjis. It's probably Iwatooshi snoring loudly as usual. I'm amazed at how they can tolerate such loud snoring each night. If I was them, I wouldn't be able to sleep at all.
Hmm, everyone else's rooms are quite. They're all sleeping soundly tonight.
Urgh. Tonight is quite cold; it's good to be back to my room where it's a little warmer. I hope that everyone is covered properly or else they'll catch a cold. The thought that swords could catch a cold and get sick is quite funny but now that they have a human form, it makes more sense to happen. I never would have thought that they would all become like this—they can smile, they can laugh, they can cry, they can get angry, so full of emotions and life. Interacting with them so much has made me forget at times that they are or were swords.
I put my glass of water beside my futon on the floor and slip into my futon. I stare outside the one and only window of my room and see the moon hanging up on the dark night sky, surrounded by a couple of stars spread across the sky.
Sigh...
I feel a sense of guilt for lying to Ichigo and to everyone else. In truth, I have not been doing any work at night and instead have been unable to sleep; insomnia is such a bother. My feelings of worry and fear have been keeping me awake each night with thoughts that bother me deeply. Such thoughts of unbearable possibilities can be haunting...The thought of sending everyone to battle, how many sacrifices are made to continue on fighting this war, how everyone might get severely injured in battle to the point that they might not return...these thoughts bring nothing but uneasiness and worry. It's not that I don't have trust in everyone's capabilities but I just can't feel relieved with the existence of the negative possibilities. Even the greatest warriors can die; I know that too well.
A yawn escapes my mouth. I really feel sleepy now; I should try to go to bed before my sleepiness passes me which would mean that I won't be able to sleep until tomorrow morning or evening.
I lay my body to rest and take one last look outside the window before closing my eyes.
"Goodnight." I whisper to myself.
"Awaken...and come to me..."
Huh?
My eyes immediately open at the sound of a low and deep menacing voice.
"Rise and come, Saniwa. Come to my side."
What the?! The voice?! Where is it coming from?! It's as if the voice is directly in my head!
"Rise and come forth!"
My body! It's moving on its own! What's happening?! I can't stop my legs from moving nor can I move my mouth! Where am I going?!
"Come and join your former friends, Saniwa. I shall bring you to them."
What?! Help! Why can't I move my mouth?! Help! Someone wake up and notice! Help!
The next thing I know, I'm already outside the citadel in this cold night. I feel the sharp pebbles scratch my feet as I walk down the paths; my bare feet start to bleed later on as I continue to walk for over an hour without stopping. It doesn't help that the cold night makes my skin feel like ice and since I'm only wearing a single layer of clothing, the cold easily passes into it and wraps my body mercilessly with chills. My body continues to walk even though it shakes uncontrollably.
After who knows how much time has passed, a village enters my field of vision however, I was not one bit pleased by what I see. The village is enveloped by ravaging flames here and there. I do not hear any screams or any sort of sounds from the people. Most probably...they are all dead.
My feet bring me thru the village without a care of whether I walk thru or beside the flames. I'm grateful that I did not catch on fire nor did I burn but I was definitely scared that I would end up like the burnt corpses I saw spread out everywhere as I walked thru the village.
It was difficult to breathe due to the smoke; I was suffocating but I reached the other end of the village and my body continues to walk towards a forest. It's painful. Ever step I take is very painful. I can't turn my head to look but I can feel it; I can feel my blood painting the floor with each step I take. It hurts.
"Haha...hahahaha..haha..."
The menacing voice suddenly laughs in my head; it seems to be louder than before. The voice gives me the feeling that a tragedy is about to happen. Perhaps this could be the end...for me.
I'm taken deeper and deeper into the forest. I don't know this place. I have never been here before. I don't even remember the way going here nor back to the citadel.
A huge lake comes into view and my feet stop just at the edge of the land before touching the water. As I stand still, I feel the pain of the wounds of my feet and some of my blood contaminates the water a little. My body still shakes at the touch of the cold wind; I feel like I was submerged in a tub of cold water. I still can't move or control my body. I'm left standing here, facing the huge lake where the water is calmer than ever.
"You have come, Saniwa. I'm pleased to finally find you."
Ripples start to form at the center of the lake. The ripples turn to violent waves as a figure emerges from underwater.
It's a Kebiishi!
"It's good to finally meet you, Saniwa. I've been trying to reach you for quite a while now."
"..."
"Oh, I forgot to loosen the restrain on you. Pardon my forgetfulness."
The Kebiishi does a simple gesture and I regain control of my neck to head area. He didn't release the rest of my body so I can't run away from him at all.
"You are the last of them, aren't you?"
"Excuse me?"
"You are the last one that resides at the citadel by the hill, are you not? The citadel that is home to those who conducted the siege two years ago but failed miserably; they obtained nothing but a painful death in the hands of the historical revisionists and some died by mine. They were quite a force to fight but their efforts were in vain. How pitiful they were. It was fun to see them scream and bleed to death; such joy they brought to me that night. The sight of swords piercing one of them from all angles and places, the one that screamed as she was thrown into the flames, the one who died standing as he was shot by a rain of arrows, the blood that spilled everywhere with each strik—"
"Shut up. Shut your mouth! Stop talking about my comrades that way; they don't deserve to be spoken of by the likes of you."
He laughs at my words.
"You are indeed lacking in fear when it comes face to face with the enemy; our comrades did not lie. It is no wonder your comrades did not let you join them. You would have worried them on the field. You are the type to charge on in the name of her comrades and use yourself to shield them."
"Do you plan to kill me?"
"What do you think?"
"If you really wanted to kill me like the others, you would have done so the moment I came and yet here you are conversing with me. You have another goal in mind, don't you?"
"Oh, I am not faced with an idiot for once. It is true that I have another reason besides killing you. You see, there was another reason why your comrades left you at the citadel."
Don't tell me he knows?!
"After torturing one of our friends for some days, he finally broke to my delight. You are one of the few Saniwas that was tasked to take record and remember important information such as the locations of each citadel that holds as a fort to each of the other Saniwas as well as what troops they posses, am I not right?"
I refuse to answer him and instead find myself swallowing the heavy air that clogs my throat.
"Your silence must mean that I am correct." His smile makes my stomach turn.
"I don't know anything about that. I am but a common Saniwa."
The Kebiishi takes his sword and swings it once. It did not hit me but it sends a strong slash of air that cuts parts of my skin a little; the pain is so sharp as if I was cut by a sword. The cuts covering parts of my arms and legs start to bleed a little. They may be superficial wounds but they sure hurt.
"Do not lie to me, child if you do not want to suffer the loss of your precious men back at the citadel."
I immediately look at him in surprise. "What do you mean?!"
"I have my troops surrounding the citadel at the moment. One more lie may cost you their lives; my temper may also compel me to give my men the signal so do not play with me, child."
"I will not listen to you! You are not the kind to keep his word! Whether I tell you what I know or not, you will eventually kill me and everyone else!"
"So you are willing to sacrifice yourself and your men to keep the information from me?"
I am willing to sacrifice myself but I have no desire to sacrifice the others. What should I do to have them spared? I don't want them to die. I want them to live on no matter what. Should I spill everything or not? If I tell him the whereabouts of the other Saniwas, then it would spell the end of the world as we know it but if I don't tell him, then everyone back at the citadel will die. The weight of the lives of the world versus the weight of everyone's lives back at the citadel—which will I choose? There's no way I could choose! The weights of their lives are all equal no matter how I'd look at it! Damn it!
I don't know how long have I been thinking and arguing with myself. Perhaps some significant amount of time has passed because the Kebiishi suddenly speaks.
"Oh well, it does not matter whether you choose to speak or not; it is but a bonus if you should speak. I was hoping you would speak to make things easier on my end but it seems that you do not plan on saying a word at all. If that is what you choose then I respect your pitiful decision. I shall end your life as painful as your comrades' deaths. I shall send you all to the hands of oblivion."
He unsheathes his sword and raises it high and above. Before my eyes shut completely in preparation for the attack, I see him run towards me in lightning speed.
"Aruji-sama!"
I suddenly open my eyes after hearing that familiar voice. However, I quickly shut my eyes again after seeing the Kebiishi right on front of me with his sword about to swing down upon me.
Instead of having a sword cut me down from above, I find myself in someone's arms, falling to one side away from danger.
"You...!" I hear the angry voice of the Kebiishi from a distance.
I open my eyes and find myself on the ground covered by Mikazuki.
"Eh?! Mikazuki?!" It seems I've regained control over my body as I stand up from the ground with his help. My legs however gave up and cause me to fall back to the ground. The cold, cuts, and loss of blood has made them week especially my feet that have suffered the most.
Mikazuki immediately sees the problem and hurriedly carries me up on his shoulder. He then runs farther away from the scene.
"Now!" he shouts.
"Over here, you ugly brute!" Midare shouts as he attacks the Kebiishi from above.
He immediately pulls back after striking to avoid the gun shots of Mitsutada's troops that followed his attack. The horsemen and footmen of Kogitsunemaru, Kashuu, and Yasusada follow after and attack with all their might but the men end up getting swiped away by the Kebiishi's mighty swing.
"You should have all been killed moments ago! What are you doing here?!"
"Don't underestimate our skills, big guy!" Midare says while attacking again from above.
"We knew that your troops were lurking around the premises of the citadel before they surrounded us." Yasusada attacks him from the right side.
Kogitsunemaru attacks from behind the Kebiishi. "We eliminated a number of them without letting the others know but once we found the true numbers, everyone had to wake up."
"Right now, the citadel is holding up just fine." Mitsutada follows up an attack after Kogitsunemaru.
"Urgh!"
Distracted by the others, Kashuu takes the opportunity and attacks the Kebiishi from the left side. "You had us worried though for a moment." He attacks a second time. "We were surprised to find Aruji-sama missing when we prepared to evacuate the citadel."
"So we came to take her back and return with us!" Kogitsunemaru says.
Yasusada and Kashuu attack together and pull back immediately to evade the Kebiishi's strike but they get scrapped a little. Kogitsunemaru decides to attack next but misses and gets hit by the Kebiishi's counter.
"URGH!" He gets pushed into the water. After a minute, he resurfaces and jumps away just in time to avoid a hit.
Mitsutada attacks again but the Kebiishi was able to block his attack.
"You insolent fools are getting on my nerves!"
The Kebiishi is infuriated and starts to take initiatives in attacking.
Mikazuki puts me down behind some trees and bushes a distance away from the battle.
"Aruji-sama, please stay here while we fight. If you gain any strength and become capable of walking again, you must run away as far as you can from here. I don't recommend returning to the citadel as it is infested by the enemy's troops. I recommend you try to flee to another fellow Saniwa's citadel and gain their help."
I grab his hand before he goes off to join the other in battle.
"Mikazuki, tell me the truth! I can see it in your eyes! The citadel...everyone back at the citadel isn't doing well, are they?!"
His calm demeanour cracks for a moment and sets my heart in turmoil.
He takes my hand off of his sleeve and tells me, "When we detected the enemy, we were able to strike first and defeated most of them however more of them came and things became a struggle. The moment we discovered that you were missing, I and the others were chosen to find you. I do not know the situation now of the others but I cannot say that they can survive or not."
"Liar! Tell me what you really think!"
His expression turns grim and right then I knew what he was going to say.
"Aruji-sama, I'm sure they were happy to meet you and the time they spent with you was the greatest they've ever had."
They have no chance of surviving...that's what you're saying. Everyone at the citadel will most likely be dead, am I right? That's why you don't want me to go back to the citadel; it's because you know that they won't fare well against the enemy. You know that I'll most likely see...their dead bodies scattered everywhere...
Tears start to stream down my eyes. This is it. This is the day that I've feared all this time; it has come for everyone.
Suddenly, Mikazuki wraps his arms around me. His hug is warm but somewhat gives off a sad feeling it's as if it will be the last. "Aruji-sama, don't cry. Tears have never suited you. We all agree that your smile is the greatest of all; it's as beautiful as the sun that we all look up to."
I wrap my arms around him, unable to control my tears.
"Everyone back at the citadel...fought as much as they could because everyone wanted to make sure that you'd have a safe place to return to."
"No..."
"But it seems that we can't return there anymore. Neither you nor I."
"Please...don't—"
"Thank you for the life you've given us as well as for the memories you made with us. You will forever live on in the hearts you've nurtured and given us. It felt good to be human indeed."
I tighten my grip on him as I know that he's saying his last words to me. He's indirectly telling me that they have no chance against the Kebiishi. No one will survive! No one will be left by my side! Even our home will no longer be one which we can return to at all!
"Aruji-sama, thank you very much. Know and remember that we love you very much."
"MIKAZUKI! NO!" I scream as he suddenly lets go of me and rushes back to the others to join them against the Kebiishi.
Though I am far from the battle, I can still clearly see them from where I am. I want to look away but I can't! I can't take off my eyes from them! I can't. I can't stop from watching as they fight in vain. I can't close my eyes and blind myself from this reality. I can't afford...to miss their last moments.
Once again, I'm going to be left behind. I'm going to lose those who are important to me. I'm going to lose everything. If this is how it's going to be, I wish that I'd be next. I can't live on this way anymore. I can't live just to experience the feeling of losing those that I've come to cherish over and over again. I can't. I don't want to lose everyone again!
I cry and I cry and I cry. I cry my heart, my lungs, my life out but it seems the air of war is too mighty that it won't even let my cries be heard by the world; it's as if I'm muted in the scenery of this tragedy. Haha...ha. Cruel till the bitter end. What did I ever do to deserve this? What can I do to prevent or stop this? Nothing...there's nothing I can do at all but to live with this burden until the day the cruel world decides to take back my life. Haha...hahaha...ha...Why...? May the heavens damn this all...
Kogitsunemaru gets pinned down to the ground.
"Pray for your soul!" the Kebiishi strikes down towards him.
*CLANG!*
"Eh? You've finally returned. Aruji-sama is in a safe place then. How is she?"
Mikazuki blocks the Kebiishi's sword and swipes it away. He grabs Kogitsunemaru and runs backwards away from harm.
"That's a grim expression you have on your face, Mikazuki. Aruji-sama knows then that we'll be dying tonight?"
Mikazuki stays silent, keeping his face of utter anger and disappointment intact.
"She didn't take it well, didn't she? There's nothing we can do though except to give it all we've got."
Midare runs towards the Kebiishi from behind and attempts to strike it.
"A poor move you have decided upon."
The Kebiishi suddenly turns around and sends Midare flying into the air in one strike; he lands a far distance away.
"MIDARE!" the Saniwa shouts in tears but of course her voice no longer reaches anyone's ears. Shout and call as much as she can with all her might but no one, not even the world, will hear her voice. She can only tremble and drown in the fear that has nested itself inside her.
Mikazuki attacks next and lands a hit on the Kebiishi who strikes back at him, causing him to get heavily injured and sink into the deeper portion of the lake. It seems that he does not resurface from under the water.
"Take this!" Yasusada strikes the Kebiishi's right shoulder.
"HYAA!" Mitsutada backs him up and attacks the Kebiishi's torso.
The Kebiishi starts to laugh happily.
"Eh?! Watch out!" Mitsutada covers Yasusada as the Kebiishi strikes. It causes the two to be swiped across the rigid ground.
"Damn it!" Yasusada curses.
The ruthless battle continues on without an ounce of mercy. Each of them are covered in multitudes of injuries, clothes ripped and tattered.
The Kebiishi is suddenly hit from behind; this surprises him greatly.
"Impressive. For you to still be standing is a feat! I truly thought you had broken already."
"Haha...ha. This old man does not die easily." Mikazuki says as he catches his breath.
He gets ready into a battle stance and his usual gentle smile forms on his face. "I am not the only one who does not die easily."
Everyone, even Midare who was sent flying away, surrounds the Kebiishi with their blood boiling and raging throughout their body.
"Hahahahahahaha! I haven't had a battle last this long for a long time now! Truly this is as amusing as it lasts!" the Kebiishi gets into position and gives the first strike.
"NO!" the Saniwa shouts as she watches everyone charge one after the other towards the enemy.
"FALL BACK!" she continues to desperately shout and shout and shout whatever enters her mind. Not a single word would reach them as they continue to strike and defend.
The cruel night is filled with the laughter and joy of the Kebiishi as blood would spill here and there. The sounds of the swords clashing against one another and the moans and cries of pain can be heard together as if they were performing like an orchestra conducted by the Kebiishi.
"RETREAT, DAMN IT!" the Saniwa snaps and loses it all.
The Kebiishi lands a huge and powerful strike with his huge sword and sends everyone flying into the air. He then slashes them all down to the ground without a pause, without hesitation.
This time, not one stood up or moved again.
It becomes quiet for a moment. The Kebiishi walks towards their near dead bodies and stands over them.
"It was enjoyable to fight with you all but it is time to end this little game." He raises his sword with a wicked smile. "I shall reunite you all too with your comrades in battle. Later, your dear Saniwa shall follow after I speak with her. Hahahahaha!"
"You piece of filth...!" Kashuu says in pain.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on her...!" Mitsutada says as he tries to get up but he cannot even move a finger.
The Kebiishi then turns it head towards the location of the Saniwa and their eyes meet. He tells her thru sending his voice into her head, "Bid farewell to your precious men. This will be the last!"
The power of panic and fear gives the Saniwa strength to stand up and rushes towards them.
"STOP! WAIT! NO!"
The Kebiishi is delighted by the Saniwa's expression and gathers a great amount of strength.
"Aruji-sama...run away." Mikazuki says as he coughs out blood.
"Leave..!" Yasusada says weakly.
"UUURAAAAAAAA!" The Kebiishi swings down his sword with all his might.
"NOOOOO!"
The Saniwa falls to her feet as all her strength drains away as a great amount of blood rises into the air and rains back down to the ground right before her eyes. The sight of the bodies sinks into her mind, causing her to lose consciousness. As she falls, the joyous laughter of the Kebiishi echoes and haunts the night.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" My body shouts to its peak of great power. My voice rings throughout the quiet night at the citadel. With eyes shut tightly, I find myself unable to stop my screaming as I hold my head tightly in fear and pain. My scream mixes with my tears that flow like a river, drowning me deeper into my despair.
Several heavy footsteps rush to my door that suddenly slides open.
"Aruji-sama!" Kashuu utters as he slides my bedroom door open forcefully.
Midare immediately rushes to my side and removes my hands from my head. He holds them in one hand and wraps his other arm around me. "Aruji-sama, calm down! What happened?! What's wrong?!"
"Please stop crying, Aruji-sama! Talk to us!" Gokotai says as his little tigers rub against me in an effort to comfort me as well.
I continue to scream and cry, unable to reply to them.
"Aruji-sama! What happened?! Is she hurt?!" Mitsutada asks frantically as he arrives together with Ookurikara. Their room is one of the farthest ones from mine.
"Did something happen?!" Hasebe asks upon arriving as well. He, Mitsutada, and Oookurikara enter my room and inspect the place.
"Yasusada and I will go get some snacks and tea to help her calm down." Kashuu says as he leaves the room with Yasusada.
"Shishiou and I will go outside and check the premises." Doudanuki says.
"Okay. Jirou, Nihongou, Otegine, and I will check the interior of the citadel." Taroutachi says.
"Oi Fudou, go and join them on the inspection." Tsurumaru says.
"She appears to be unharmed so I don't think she was attacked." Yamanbagiri says.
Yamabushi nods. "You're right. Maybe there was no perpetrator?"
"It's still better to check than to be wrong." Hachisuka says.
"Maybe Aruji-sama just had a terrible nightmare?" Izuminokami suggests.
"A nightmare?" Horikawa asks him.
"It's when you have a bad dream. I hear that they can really be scary; it's like getting attacked in your sleep and there's nothing you can do to fight back."
"If she did have a nightmare, it should have been pretty scary or traumatic for her to end up like this." Urashima says.
"Nightmares aren't cool. It's like psychological torture or something; it's too much." Taikogane says.
"Have you ever had a nightmare before, Taikogane?" Monoyoshi asks.
"I haven't. I don't think any of us has experienced a dream or a nightmare yet."
"Oi, we found something at the backyard of the citadel!" Iwatooshi says loudly.
He, together with Ishikirimaru, shows a weird bone-like creature that's similar to the common enemies we fight however its color was different. This one is black.
"What the hell is that?!" Ichigo asks.
"Such a strange one." Imanotsurugi says as he pokes it.
"Oi, don't do that or else it'll bite you." Iwatooshi moves the creature away from him.
"Maybe this caused Aruji-sama's nightmare?"
"Hmm, that's not entirely impossible but this would be the first time we'd encounter such an enemy like this one." Nikkari says.
"I think we should get rid of it already." Aizen says.
"He's right. What if it does more harm to Aruji-sama or what if it harms us?" Hotarumaru says.
"Very well, Iwatooshi and I will go and exterminate this creature outside. Please tend to Aruji-sama. Her sobbing may have toned down but it has not stopped." Ishikirimaru says.
Midare continues to wipe my tears away though I show no signs of stopping any time soon. "Aruji-sama...You'll get dehydrated if you continue on crying. Your voice will get tired too; you'll lose your voice so that means you won't be able to speak."
Mikazuki joins Midare in comforting me. He puts his arms around me and says, "There, there, calm down now. Aruji-sama, don't cry. Tears have never suited you. We all agree that your smile is the greatest of all; it's as beautiful as the sun that we all look up to."
Those words...!
My grip on his clothes suddenly tightens as it reminds me of the nightmare I just had. It felt so real that I really thought I lost everyone. It felt so real!
"Don't...die..." Those words came out softly between my sobbing. I don't think it was audible enough for everyone except Mikazuki whose expression became anxious.
He hugs me tighter and quietly tells me, "Please. I beg of you to calm down not just for your sake but for mine as well...for everyone's sake."
All this crying has made me weak and my grip loosens shortly after.
"Eh? Looks like you calmed her down, Mikazuki. No one can beat you at all in calming her down!" Kogitsunemaru says.
"That is not the case this time. Um, it seems she has lost consciousness."
Mikazuki gently lays the Saniwa on her bed with the help of Midare.
Yagen comes in to examine her.
"Is she alright?" Souza asks.
"Aruji-sama is alright. She has no injuries or symptoms of any disease; I believe she just fainted due to stress."
Souza sighs in relief.
"Ah!" Yagen grabs one of the Saniwa's hands and looks at them intently.
"What's the matter, Yagen?" Ichigo asks.
"Midare, Mikazuki, roll her sleeves up!"
The two do as he says and to their surprise, they find her arms covered in fine cuts.
"Where did these come from?!" Midare asks is surprise.
Following a hunch, Yagen removes the Saniwa's blanket and lifts her kimono up to knee length. "Her legs are full of cuts as well. What the?! Her feet are in a terrible state and they're bleeding! Someone get me the first aid kit!"
Imanotsurugi brings him the first aid kit. He then tells Midare and Mikazuki to take care of bandaging her arms and legs as he works on the injuries on her feet.
"The wounds on her arms and legs are quite superficial so there's nothing to worry about those but her feet are a different story. They're badly injured and the cuts are deep. The bleeding doesn't seem to stop. She won't be able to walk with these injuries on her feet unless she can endure the excruciating pain that would come with each step she makes. It would take around two weeks before her feet could recover; that's my estimate."
"Where on earth could she have gotten these injuries from?! She was completely fine a while ago! All she did was get a glass of water from the kitchen after leaving our room!" Midare says in frustration.
"All that I can tell you is that these wounds are not self inflicted because knowing Aruji-sama, she wouldn't hurt herself like this and the wounds are even found in places she wouldn't be able to reach such as the areas behind her arms."
Mikazuki thinks for a moment. "That would mean that it was inflicted by someone or something however there are no signs or traces of another person or creature having been here. Iwatooshi and Ishi found that black creature a while ago however it was found at the backyard which is far from here."
"We'll just have to ask her what happened when she wakes up."
Nakigitsune suddenly enters the room and walks towards the window.
"What's up over there?" Kogitsunemaru asks him.
"...Black water."
"What?" Kogitsunemaru goes over to him and checks out whatever he was referring to.
By the window was a glass—a glass of black water.