DISCLAIMER: Both of Mononoke characters belong to Toei Animations and copyright owners.. I do not intend to gain anything from writing this story. And I must express my great appreciation to Songbird of the End who help me beta this story :)

STRENGTH OF THE WILL
CHAPTER 1: REUNITED

The rain pouring down so hard outside of the inn, it curtains the whole city with the deepest shade of gray, sending waves of piercing coldness straight through every corner of the room. As similar as summer brought jollity to life, the rainy season brought somewhat melancholy and loneliness into every lonely spirit, making it so hard to breathe or even enjoy the peaceful melody of raindrops as it carried serenity and pleasurable coldness within the air.

Sitting by the windows, Kayo lessens herself from dreary surroundings by observing any passerby who happens to walk through her sight. It is better to let her thoughts wander somewhere else before cloudy weather and gloomy atmosphere once again fulfill its purpose from preying on her gaily spirit.

It has been a year now since her first steps on Edo territory by the Sorairisu-Maru Vessel. Life after her early retirement from retainer duty at Sakai house turns out very well to the point she would dare call the great change of her life. Though her current job at this old-fashioned teahouse, Himeyuri Inn requires longer work shift and granted her a meager payment each month, but the way she was capable of managing her fate within her own hands made this new career worth it. And as humble an upbringing as Kayo had, she finally found herself closer to real achievement for the first time in her life.

But under the optimistic standpoint she possessed for the world, especially when life was full of expectancy and joyfulness at a time like this, the girl realized that there is a place in her heart where something is still missing ; love.

Love at first sight. The classic cliché which causes her heart rumbling so hard with anticipation each time she think of him , though she would never bold enough to use such a term to conclude her feelings towards the mysterious medicine seller she met only couple of times. Yet for the least, the girl must admit to herself that with his stunning appearance, as well as his unforgettable kindness, strength, and wisdom that made the man himself a type of a guy that no woman could ever resist.

Secretly, Kayo wonders if he, the one who she does not even know his given name, could ever know that he became pretty much the concrete subject for most of her daydreaming? Ever since their last encounter during the trip at Dragon's Triangle, what she could only wish for is for her to be fortunate enough to meet him again one more time, hoping that this time she would run in to him and get an opportunity to talk to him again even just a little.

Then again, how likely would it be for the same coincidence to happen three times in a row? She questioned herself, too diffident to figure out the possibility. Therefore, as long as the question remains unanswered, all Kayo could do is wait and see if fate would be so kind to her.

The sun had set by the time Kayo finally pitched her thoughts back to reality. It would not be long before nightfall, and then the inn will be fully booked in no time, just like every ordinary day in rainy season, seeking for a cozy place to stay and a cup of warm sake. Therefore, there was no reason to waste more of her valuable free time with such girly fantasies.

Looking out the window for one last time, the young woman gave a brief glance over the view of distant horizon, admiring its unfeigned beauty to cheer herself up a bit, the gradually moved to the seat next to the entry, waiting for her long-tormented night duty to come.

Later that night, the merciless downpour continues whereas the nightlife in the old commercial district was finally brought to an end; all the hostels and teahouses were concurrently closed down along with the dying light on the most front gate's lanterns, leaving only the streetlights glowing dimly amidst the crazy monsoon.

Unable to do anything better than hang around inside Himeyuri Inn, Kayo found it irritating to be trapped inside her own workplace under the influence of the ferocious climate.

Her nightshift had finished almost an hour ago, and she's dying to dip her worn out body with a nice warm bath instead of waiting for the end of this frenetic rainstorm, which would definitely take at least another hour or two to blow over. Besides, staying in the reception area surrounded by ancient embellishments does not seem to be a very good idea, judging by her previous experience on supernatural matters.

Under this climate condition, it would be wiser for her to remain safe and dry under shelter— maybe rent the simplest room to stay here for the night. That way she could reach home easily during the day and spare some time to rest before the beginning of the next shift without taking her chances outside in the middle of a mighty rainstorm.

However, she could not afford to spend her hard earned money unnecessarily. Beside, sleeping on her warm and cozy mattress is always free and she promises herself to put this thought into action as soon as possible.

Finally made up her mind, Kayo headed home during the darkest hour of the night with an oil lamp in one hand and borrowed umbrella in another. Luckily, the owner lent her the umbrella so she doesn't have to walk home soaking in the rain. Since her wooden sandal would be a bad combination when mixed with the slippery walkway.

She starts pacing along the alleys in the careful steps, trying her best to get home without tripping or smudging her only uniform with the splash of mud. In normal circumstances, the distance from Himeyuri Inn to her current resident would take only 15 minutes walks. However, at this rate, it will surely take longer than that to manage the route through such heavy rain.

30 Minutes later, after she managed to walk under the pouring rain , her home is only a heartbeat away. With that, the young woman began praising herself for making the decision of facing the rain instead of stay the night at the Inn.

But in that moment of glory, Kayo soon realized that she has a company following her closely behind. And though the girl never considered herself sexually attractive,Kayo knows better than to take a risk with this particular situation.

Kayo forced her legs to speed up as fast as their could in heels, her hands shook with primal fear while sensing that "they" too were moving faster each time she attempted to raise her speed and were trying to fool her by altering their steps every time the young women tried to loose their track.

At this point, her woman instincts told her that something really bad will happen to her if she fails to escape from such a perilous state. She then hastens her pace to almost running, trying her best to arrive at her destination.

Unfortunately, it seems all of her attempts were futile when her stalkers decided block the path and make their existence known.

They are the party of seven men. And even in such limited light , Kayo could see lust burning in their hooded eyes and some men licked their lips as they circled around her.

"Hello, gorgeous..." One of the men decided to break the silence, causing Kayo to nearly jump out of her own skin. "What are you doing all alone in such rainny night... my darling?"

"Um, well...actually I'm in a quite hurry, sir. Would you gentlemen please let me pass so I can go home safely? " Kayo replied , trying to stay calm as she requested them politely.

"Haha..let you pass? After you walked all the way here showing all the good stuff under that wet kimono?! We are not stupid."

"That's perky fun bags are so damned fine. I could SUCK them up all night."

" Yeah. We couldn't help it, it's your fault who looks so fuckable. Now be a good girl and take all us tonight!"

As Kayo was deafen by those foul words they shouted at her , someone grabbed her thin frame from behind and captured both of her biceps, sending the lamp and her umbrella scattered on the floor.

"Please ,sirs. You can take all my money. But please... don't hurt me" she pleaded, her voice shook with fear as young woman trying to talk herself out of this.

"Good bargaining. So we get both money and the girl." The gray haired one said casually as if they were talking about weather, but it's her life and human integrity they were talking about.

There was the moment silence, and the verdict came out.

They tore the front of her kimono open. And the bulkiest guy approached and reached out for her breasts. The merciless look in his eyes made a chill shoot up Kayo's spine. But she won't give up without a fight.

With all the strength she could mustered, Kayo swings her heavy sandal at the man's crotch. His face changed its color as the man clutched his testicles in pain. She then elbowed the man who captured her directly at his stomach, freed herself and ran away.

"SOMEBODY, HELP ME! RAPISTS! HELP!" Running in the rain, Kayo screams at the top of her lungs, hoping that her voice will wake the entire neighborhood. But in this downpour, all anyone could hear was the sound of the thunderstorm. And her valiant escape is made useless when one of the molesters grabs her by the collar of her kimono and cruelly tackles the young woman to the ground.

"DON'T! PLEASE DON'T! SOMEBODY HELP ME—ahh!" Kayo is fighting with her teeth and nails while she continues yelling. However, a hit to her stomach almost knocked her senseless. But since her pride refuses to give up, the young woman is still struggling fiercely to protect her modesty, even as their brute force makes such struggles futile. They begin to pin her down in all four and lift the hem of her garment up on her waist.

"Enough with your struggles! Now shut the fuck up and take it, you WHORE! " One of them yelled at her, he slapped her sharply in the face. The weight of four men on her limbs pinned her on the wet floor to prevent her from anymore struggles.

Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she realized that there is no way to escape. And Kayo could do nothing but hopelessly cried for help when one man settled himself between her thighs and he already untied his pants.

And just when Kayo was about to give up, a smooth voice like velvet resonates through the frantic rainstorm. Its familiarity causes the young woman's heart to skip a beat.

"Excuse me for interfering, you gentle—No. Rude men," Declared the anonymous voice."But this lady is my acquaintance, and I insist all of you release her and leave her alone. Immediately."

To be Continued…