I do not know what it is about you that closes,
and opens…only Something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses…
Cummings.
The air was thick and humid, beating down relentlessly upon the figure slouched unbecomingly in the field of unpaved land—stretching as it was, for miles in endless expanse. Kaoru Kamiya licked her lips, long since dried and parched; soft petal like tissues, cracked and bleeding around the edges.
Dizziness came in waves, a hypnotic spell that gripped Kaoru like the swirling of the tides—coming and going as it pleased. She let it wash over her, closing her eyes for a brief moment, she dragged her shirt sleeve half heartily over her forehead in vain attempts to wipe away the heat. It came away damp. Kaoru stared down dazed, at the carefully embroidered pattern, torn and faded from abuse. Patterns and stitching she herself had once so carefully put in.
A terrible burning irritated the back of her crystalline eyes, and had she any more tears to cry, they would have come in rivers; pouring down without cease over the curves of her high cheekbones. But as of such, she had none—only an endless direction, an unmarked path; and it was plagued with smoke and screams, echoing from weeks prior in ever increasing clamor. It haunted her in waking hours and visited her sleep. This time, she allowed it to replay; sharp and crisp within her mind, as fresh as if it had happened mere moments, and not months, before:
The day had been unremarkable—no tell tale signs in the wind. No particular change in the weather. The sun dawned as it always did each morning, dutifully lifting the veil of mist covering the small temple nestled comfortably in the side of the mountain.
Kaoru rose early, a strict routine for all the Shrine Maidens of Elydis. Her soft slippers brushed against the cold stone of the arched hallway as she padded through the sunlit corridors. The smell of spring lingered faintly in the air, despite the passing of the season. The Lady Megumi Eledi had often said that the seasons remained longer up in the mountains.
Crossing the open courtyard, Kaoru reached milk white hands into her woven pouch, pulling out a faded parchment; neatly rolled, if somewhat crumpled around the edges. Tugging open the thin red string binding the parchment with one hand, Kaoru unrolled the tan paper revealing neat scrawls of her own handwriting. It was a list of all the herbs, poisons, and precious stones in the surrounding region and a brief note of their uses.
Frowning thoughtfully at her record, Kaoru compared the crudely drawn sample of the winter fern to a nearby plant. Granted, she had to admit her picture didn't resemble the actual plant in the slightest—a fact the Lady Megumi had generously pointed out the day prior. Nevertheless, with several more moments of intense scrutiny, Kaoru bent the lissome branch, allowing its juices to soak into the parchment near the general region of the scribble.
The sound had come like thunder on a clear blue day—unexpected and frightening. Amidst the soft and peaceful murmuring of the inhabitants living within the mountain side, the sound was crass and earsplitting.
Kaoru started, rudely jolted from her work. Quickly rolling the parchment, Kaoru stuffed the ream of paper back into her handbag. Gathering her skirts in one hand, the raven haired shrine maiden darted off towards the quad over looking the west side of Elydis, towards the ever increasing roar.
Soon, the familiar white marble pillars loomed into view—beneath its slender structure, a fidgeting flock of shrine maidens stifled moans of terror. Kaoru looked up towards the horizon— as she did, her own labored breaths fell silent, choked in her throat.
From a distance, it looked like a black mass moving over the mountain sides; obsidian plague, spreading slowly and surely, engulfing the otherwise vivid green of the surrounding forest.
Snapping out of her shock, Kaoru lunged at the nearest shrine maiden, whipping her around with the force of urgency. "Gather everyone and head towards the East Quad!" Kaoru instructed to the startled girl. " I will get Lady Megumi Eledi and meet you there—she will know what to do."
The girl started, nodding as she snapped to attention, as if a spell of immobility had been lifted. Turning, Kaoru watched the slender girl usher the other maidens from their stupor, hurrying them down the marble steps that led towards the Eastern Gardens of Elydis. Kaoru herself, gathered up her skirts and took off at a running start, dashing towards the stoned archways—towards the chambers of the Eledi.
Lady Megumi Takani Eledi met her halfway. The elegant woman had been running towards the west quad, layers of delicate silk streaming behind her in brilliant, dramatic colors.
"Kaoru!" Megumi Takani grabbed the younger woman by the arm, her grip surprisingly strong. "What has happened? Answer me quickly."
"My Lady Eledi, the Shrine is under attack!" Kaoru panted, the fear and panic in her eyes speaking volumes to the head priestess.
Megumi's eyes widened, an indefinable emotion flitting within them. "Has the world gone mad?!" She breathed. "An attack on Elydis!"
"We must leave quickly, the rest of the maidens should be headed towards the East."
Megumi Takani nodded. "Quickly, this way."
The head priestess turned back the way she came, followed closely by Kaoru. The two women turned the corner just in time to see the rest of the sisters of Elydis, crowded and in despair upon the marble floors. Above their crumpled forms, Kaoru's eyes traced the line of the mountains to the east.
The slopes of the plains were spotted with the colors of armed warriors, the head of the wave a mere three hundred paces away.
"The heavens help us…" Megumi breathed, her pearl white skin nearing a shade of translucent. "Why are they here?"
The high priestess looked at her charges, each face ranging deftly from young to old. "You fools!" Megumi snapped, her voice cracking a whip through the air. "What are you lying around for? RUN!"
And they ran.
Kaoru turned and headed for the south, not entirely sure it was the correct path to take—there was no road leading up from the south, lined with dangerous drops she could only hope that it would somehow be more merciful that the gleaming swords sheathed within samurai belts.
Twice, Kaoru slipped on a corner, her soft silken shoes retaining little hold upon the gleaming floors of the shrine— had the situation been less dire, she would have mused rather dryly about what she would say to the older shrine maidens the next time they insisted on polishing the floors each morning.
The sound of horse hooves clattered loudly from behind, and Kaoru ran harder. She yelped as she felt the blunt end of a blade slam hard into her back. Kaoru crumpled to the ground, tremors of sharp pain radiated from the point of impact. The slender shrine maiden coughed, the wind knocked cleanly out of her.
Crude laughter sounded from above her.
"You bitches." The man snarled, his voice rasp and taunting. "Hiding up here, thinking you are all high and mighty. Thought you could get away did you?"
Kaoru pushed herself up with her arms, looking up at her attacker, the flare of her temper flashing defiantly within the depths of her eyes.
The man grinned, a sly look overcoming his features. "My, my? Aren't you a feisty little thing? We have a way of dealing with women of your sort."
Kaoru paled, scrambling backwards as the man dismounted in one clean leap. The slam of his boots hitting the marble floor sent tremors across the ground to where Kaoru lay. Grabbing her dark tresses forcefully, the man lifted Kaoru—pressing her against the wall. She gagged against the heady stench of sweat and blood—dried in layers across his skin.
Kaoru struggled wildly, bruising her fists on his armor.
She stopped suddenly, her body stiffening. The warrior looked up curiously at the woman, wondering at her sudden change in demeanor. He was promptly rewarded with a well aimed splatter of saliva.
"You wench! You spat in my eye!" The man roared, slamming Kaoru against the wall until black dots swam in her vision. Kaoru glared down fiercely in the vicinity of man.
"You shame the samurai name!" She hissed venomously. "You are not a warrior, you are just a low-classed murderer!"
The man looked startled for a moment, before rage swept through his form. "How dare you--"
His sentence was cut short as warm blood splattered over Kaoru's face. The larger body crumpled against her; life flowing from the gaping wound in his neck. Kaoru collapsed to the ground, looking up she stared into the face of her savior. He had black hair and the most piercing blue eyes she had ever seen.
"Wha--" Kaoru began, the question refusing to form as the man raised the hilt of his weapon and brought it deftly down.
Kaoru sighed, shaking the tremors from her body that had suddenly chilled despite the blazing heat of the afternoon sun. Clutching her belongings closer to her, the young woman looked out at the expansive land. It was greener in this area, a good indication that water was close by. Spotting a small tree, Kaoru sought the welcoming shelter of its arms.
The relief on her body was almost instantaneous. The earth beneath the shaded branches was cool and soft to the touch. Kaoru leaned wearily against the trunk, long dark tresses spilling in a haphazard fan of black silk against the outer layer of her outfit. The pale shades of the material had long since darkened with sweat and dirt—the neatly sewn patterns ripped and faded.
Kaoru fingered the makeshift bag she had created, a mere piece of coarse woolen cloth wrapped around her only belongings—the rough material brushing comfortingly against her fingertips. Reaching in, she pulled out a small package wrapped in preserved tea leaves. Peeling away the tightly bound material, a row of sad little rice balls, squished beyond recognition gazed back at her.
Kaoru stared back—at the last remnants of the inn she had stayed at, and the woman who had been kind to her. After her struggle with the samurai at Elydis, she had awoken in a small bed, the comforter pressed and starched with the smell of washing. She had awoken with a splitting headache, and no memory of how she had come to stay at the inn. She had thrown off the bed covers, and hobbled unsteadily towards the paper screen door.
A woman met her outside, a startled look upon her pleasant face, and a tray of perfectly made rice balls with a bowl of soup held steadily in her hands. Handing the tray to Kaoru, the woman smiled warmly and informed Kaoru she was at the Oji inn. When Kaoru had returned her information with a blank look of incomprehension, the woman had smiled sympathetically at her, and told her she would answer any other questions in the evening.
Kaoru had been strangely ravenous—though when evening came, she wished she had not eaten anything at all. The meal sat uncomfortably in her stomach, as if she had swallowed rubber. The inn keeper had told her a man had brought her in three days ago, and paid for her stay. When Kaoru finally mustered the courage to ask the question that had plagued her throughout the long afternoon, she had been met with sad eyes.
Elydis had been destroyed. And there were no survivors—save Kaoru.
Kaoru poked at her rice ball, the feeling of lost sweeping keenly over her; a bitter feeling she was becoming intimately familiar with. Placing the stale wade of grain in her mouth, she chewed listlessly—watching the unchanging horizon. She wondered how long it would be before she reached Tokyo. The slight weight of her money pouch was growing ever lighter, and she was painfully aware of it. The inn keeper had been kind enough to offer her work and pay for a short amount of time—but the few bits of coins that she had left would scarcely cover another night's stay at the next town.
When the last of the rice cakes had been eaten, Kaoru rebound her sack—stretching as she stood. Wary of the passing day, she headed back into the sun, walking towards—what she hoped would be a running stream.
When the first sound of rushing water reached her, hope surged in Kaoru. Quickening her deaden limbs, she almost laughed in relief as the ragged edge of the uneven ground ended abruptly—the long and thick grass growing alongside of it, cut off by the glistening liquid.
Kaoru collapsed next to the water, scooping handfuls of it; she splashed it over her face. The cold fluid was shocking against her flushed cheeks, the chilled temperature a striking contrast against the warmth the sun had instilled. For a moment, the troubles of the month past seemed far; kept at bay, as she basked in the simple pleasure of washing away the designs that grim had painted on her face. She sighed as the water replenished her tired skin, soothing the cracks that had formed along her lips as nothing else could.
Rolling up her sleeves, Kaoru dipped her arms into the water, rubbing the sides of them in efforts to clean them as well. Something brushed her fingertips as Kaoru reached deeper beneath the surface. The young woman jumped, startled. For a moment, she stared, confused at the red strands, billowing in slow motion like underwater flames beneath the glassy pool.
Dark blue eyes traced the length of the unusual phenomenon, following the long tendrils of scarlet lines to where it disappeared beneath the high tufts of wild grass flourishing upon the water surface. Her thirst forgotten—Kaoru stood up and cautiously approached the wild vegetation.
Bending back the long willowy plants, Kaoru gasped, her eyes widening in shock.
Pillowed among the dusky golden weeds was a head crowned with blood red hair.