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Angel With A Shotgun
A little girl with blond hair and blue eyes woke up and found herself looking up at a dark sky. Was she in heaven? Was she finally reborn? The sins…
Was heaven this dark? Her hand twitched. She can move. Slowly, she sat up and looked around. She searched and searched. She saw that she was amongst what looked to be a large camp, but the place was dyed red and bodies lay all over the place. One of them laying under her looking up blankly at the skies with her. His eyes unfocused. She couldn't understand the situation and looking at the clothes, she could see that he seemed to be either an actor or a strange old man with a liking for ragged clothing. The others as well. It was nothing like her clothing that consists of a shirt with black and white horizontal stripes, a loose white cardigan, black shorts, and clunky black boots with silver buckles. Curious, she touched her neck and could feel her black cloth choker tied to it. Her small, black messenger bag was still there too. Everything was there and she seemed to be in one piece.
A foreign cry caused her to turn around as she saw it. An old samurai warrior rushing up to her only for a dark figure to rush up in the background and cut him down along with his other companion. The girl looked up and saw that it was a strange, purple creature with thin purple limbs long white hair and glowing red eyes. Was it even alive? But, it moved. Then, does it have a soul? What was it? Curious, she rushed behind what looked to be a shack and peeked out to watch it as it slayed the oncoming soldiers. As it shrieked, she concluded that the things couldn't have been human before or now. She watched for a bit before turning back and crouched down to the ground. She wasn't quite nervous or in shock, but worried. Worried for someone else's sake. She could tell that she was not in heaven and no matter how much she thought back, the only images that came to her mind was the time when he said that he was unable to fulfill his promise yet because they were being chased and that he'd get caught if they weren't careful. Then, he led her to the back of an airport and the two snuck onto a plane. The ride wasn't as bad and there was food that laid about aside from the dogs that refused to take any liking to her. When it landed, they snuck past the security and came to a strange city. The city was bright and dazzling in her eyes. A little too dazzling for the both of them. So, he led her to the countryside after many days of travel. When all was said and done, they came across and grumpy elder man who took them in. It was then that they came to understand that they were in Japan. A country far from Europe or America. The elderly was a blind man and couldn't recognize them in the least. He never questioned them either, but their name and age. Despite her friend's distrust, they stayed there for a little over two years. Now, she was fifteen. No longer the same little girl that followed after an adult figure. She didn't follow behind anyone, but him. She was waiting, after all. Those days were spent with her getting a part-time job at a convenience store and showing her companion some rather easy words and numbers to pass the time. Otherwise, he'd go for more excursions than necessary. But, what brought her here was unusual. One day, after another of his travels, they found themselves chased by some FBI agents. She'd never thought the day would come when the states would go through such lengths to hunt him down. They ran into the house where the elderly man sent them down to a level that she believed was between the first floor and the basement. The place was spacious and wide as they moved about. He complained a lot, but she was unable to do a thing for themselves, but keep quiet just as footsteps above them could be heard. They waited and waited. The elder man's voice and response to their question. That was when she knew the kind elderly man knew who they were and still kept hiding the truth from the authorities. She waited and waited with him under the floor boards. When they questioned the floorboards, she did everything she possibly could to keep her friend from acting out. Finally, just as the old man bid the officials farewell and locked the door, He helped move their belongings into the small room. Uncertain how to express their gratitude, she fumbled some words of appreciation to which the old man only replied firmly that they should keep a low profile as the people could be professionals rather than newbies. That time was the only time she'd ever heard her companion warn someone other than herself with words of concern and it was for the kind elderly man. The man only nodded his head in response and acknowledgement. There was no anger ridden over his face. Only silence indiscriminate of any emotions. Seeing this, she knew that he was not someone who would fall easily in this house. She didn't know what happened after, but, that day they had gone to sleep, something must've happened while their guard was down. The next thing she knew was that she was here and he was gone.
Thinking this, she hugged her legs like a child again. It's been a long time since she's been separated for him like this. She just hoped that he wasn't too far. But, even if he was hurt, she could stitch his injuries back together. Well, if he lets her.
She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped up startled to find herself face to face with a pair of dazzling blue eyes. She jumped back in surprise and saw that the individual was a man in a white solider-like uniform with blood stains on it, short light blue hair, and… wolf-like ears? She stared at him in shock as he frowned, "Those clothes…"
Snapped out of her stupor, she pushed him back and scrambled to her feet and ran. She must find him!
"Ah! Hey!"
Their voices weren't far off as she heard them gave chase after her, but she recognized the words and language. They were speaking in Japanese. During her time in Japan, her coworkers and manager were kind people that taught her how to read Japanese and, with so many people to talk to, it made it all the more easier for her to understand, but she didn't have the time for this and, so, she ran. She needs to find him! Making her way through the burning streets, she looked back once to see now that there were two people running after her. Both with strange wolf-like ears. They were also gaining up to her. Aside from that, she also saw the long swords they carried. They hadn't drawn them yet, but she wasn't gonna give it to chance either. She quickly rummaged threw her bag and pulled out a small mechanism consisting of an old flashlight and an old frail rag. This won't work. She frowned. She didn't like this. She really don't like it. She rummaged in her bag a bit more and felt her handkerchiefs. Could God really be this cruel to her? But, has he ever accepted her before? Without much choice, she turned the corner and ran into another alley. She rushed through the narrow alley till she saw a small crack in the wall. Quickly, she dove into it and waited whilst holding her breath. She waited quietly watching from the crack in the wall. The footsteps drew closer and closer till she finally heard the foreign speech, "Damn it! She just vanished!"
Screams filled the air as the voice from the man she saw shouted, "There's more?"
"Fine! We'll just let Kagemochi know." The other growled as they made their way before her hiding place. She could see their faces, but the dark color uniform next to the white. They turned around and rushed off back where they came through. She waited for a while. Minutes passed and when it felt like an hour, she crawled out of the crack and continued running. She didn't stop running down the alley as the sight of the dark forest came to view. As she ran, she saw something move from the corner of her eyes and jumped back just as something reached out to her. She ducked under the arm and ran faster. She could feel as if her feet was about to start flying off the ground at this speed. She ignored the voice that called out to her and ran. Something about this place is giving her a bad premonition and she wasn't going to stay to see what it was. Moreover, she was worried where he might be. It was then that a mist of white substances came flying out at her. Despite running, something finally caught her shoulder! Her eyes widen in surprise and her grip on the batteries slipped out. It had been tied to the wire and an old rag. It was something she had prepared when she was hiding in the crack for the time to pass. As it fell to the ground, she held her breath as her eyes widen. Quickly, she tore the hand away from her and pushed the man back before running down the path. Behind her a loud flare could be heard and shouts. It wasn't her intention, but she didn't look back and continued running. Diving into the woods, she ran with a great weight on her legs. Finally, when she came to a slow stop, everything was quiet. As she stood there, her legs suddenly gave away. Her eyes widen in surprise. Could that have been just flour? It was then that she collapsed onto the dirt ground and was slowly drifting in and out of consciousness. She needed to find him, though. Zack. where is he?
When she woke up, she was greeted with the roof of a house similar to that a straw shack. Confused, she turned her head expecting to see him, but only saw a small pot set over a small pile of wood. She looked about for a bit in confusion before sitting up with a frown. She was in a shack. Like those she had seen in Japanese books. It was dusty and the corners were covered white with cobwebs. However, there was footsteps on the tatami tiles with dust. Somebody came here. The footprints led to her bedside where the thin dirty cover laid out over her.
"Zack?" she called out but with no response.
She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder as she quickly responded by slapping it away with wide eyes. She looked up and saw that it was a man with those ears again. Like the previous, he was also in an uniform of green and white, but nothing as bright. Was he also another soldier or an authority? He looked to her in surprise and retracted his hand.
"It's all right." He managed, "You're safe."
"Safe?" she repeated in confusion.
The man nodded silently. She didn't know why, but she let out a small sigh of relief before staring at his wolf ears that sat on his dark hair. He seemed to have noticed this and gave her a similar look of confusion. Suddenly, someone entered the room as she spun around and saw that it was another wolf-ear man. He was a man with long blond hair and dusty yellow wolf-ears. Like the other, he also wore a uniform of red and white. They were all like those soldiers she had once seen on a book of the history of Japan. This man approached her with a smile, "I see you're awake now."
She crept back cautious before she noticed the bag sitting next to her aside from her missing Cardigan. She reached in for it but remembered the other man's words.
"I'm… safe?"
Looking back to him, the man nodded with an awkward smile. Though she still felt a little unsettled, the weight was lifted off her chest only for a little. She still needed to be cautious. She didn't know these people, after all. The other soldier gave her an unusual smile as he asked, "What's your name?"
However, she didn't respond. Rather, the unusual smile of his face gave her the shivers. Something wasn't right. As if seeing this, the man sighed and forced a smile, "Have you tried talking with her?"
She looked to the dark hair soldier who nodded, "Just now, but I haven't gotten to ask her questions yet."
The soldier in red looked to him with a slight frown, "Then, what should we do with her? More importantly her clothes. You're not from around here?"
She looked to him silently before slowly shaking her head. The blond hair soldier's frown deepened with his green eyes narrowing, "Then… are you… from Uesugi's territory?"
"Ue… sugi?" She echoed in caution, "Where's that?"
The same man raised a brow and remained quiet before he asked, "Do you know where this is?"
"Ja…pan?" she answered in confusion, "This… is Japan, right?"
He looked to be stunned speechless as the two soldiers glanced at each other in confusion.
"So, what's the situation in here?"
Suddenly, another man in red appeared before the entrance. He was another man with wolf ears too, but it was darker than the spiky short red hair. He had a similar red armor and a red clothes. Like the other two his left ear had a cut on it, but he also wore a green piercing on the other. His green eyes rested on her as he raised a brow and glanced over to the two.
"She just woke up. However, it looks like she's not from Uesugi's territory, but from a place called 'Japan', Shingen-sama." The blond hair man reported.
"'Japan'?" the man raised a brow as well and looked to her direction.
He nodded and walked over to her before sitting down next to her and the green soldier, "You said that you came from Japan?"
She nodded slowly, "Yes… Where am I?"
"You're on my land." He replied with a smile before he asked her firmly, "Then, can you tell me what happened that brought you here?"
She looked to him in confusion and with great caution. He seemed to have sensed this and laughed, "It's safe here, I promise. We're not going to hurt you. We just need to know what brought you into this territory."
She was quiet at first, but slowly began, "I don't know…"
She hesitated a bit more before continuing, "When I woke up, I was in a town and people were being killed."
Hearing this, their attention drew to her as the red hair man wore a stiff frown and nodded, "Was that why the back of your shirt is covered in blood? Someone helped you?"
She shook her head, "I was lying on top of a corpse."
"A corpse?" the green soldier said in shock.
She nodded, "The person was already dead. Then, I saw a strange purple creature attack soldiers in a white cloak."
"Purple creature and soldiers in white?" the blond hair man frowned.
She nodded, "When I was hiding, one of them found me. So, I ran into the forest. I… I think they used some kind of gas when they tried to catch me."
"And that gas knocked you out?" the red hair man questioned.
She nodded in response.
"She didn't seem to have any injuries, Shingen-sama." The green hair man responded with a frown, "Perhaps they were trying to catch her with sleeping gas?"
"But, she got away?" Shingen raised a brow and turned to her, "How did you got away?"
"I accidentally created an explosion with the gas." She admitted honestly, "I don't know what happened to them afterwards, but I think they're fine…"
The blond hair man's eyes widen, "You created…"
"An explosion?" the green soldier finished with a shocked expression.
Shingen smiled, "So, that's what happened. By the way, what's your name? I'm Takeda Shingen."
With uncertainty, the girl hesitated before she finally answered, "Rachel Gardner."
"Lay-shell Ga-de-na?" Shingen raised a brow.
She clarified, "Just call me Ray, if you want."
"I see." Shingen nodded, "Well, this must mean that you have no place to stay, then?"
She frowned, "Where is this place?"
"Takeda Territory." Shingen answered before he lightly joked, "This world is called Shinga."
"Shinga…" She frowned, "I've never heard of this place before…"
"Huh." Shingen nodded, "That's why you can stay at our home, instead."
She shook her head and said, "There's someone I'm looking for. I don't want to leave without him."
"Someone you're looking for…" Shingen frowned.
"Shingen-sama." The blond hair man reported with a frown, "When Saizo and the others found her, she was alone."
"I think he's still in that town." She said with a frown.
Hearing this, the men looked to each other with a frown on each of their faces as Shingen frowned, "That town must be near the border then…"
He nodded in confirmation to his own words, "After an attack like that, it'll be a while before we can send anybody there."
Hearing this, her hands tightened on the covers as she frowned, "But…"
Shingen nodded, "The place is too dangerous after an attack. The Uesugi will be keeping a close eye on the place for a while."
"Uesugi…" She repeated in question.
"They're enemies of Takeda." Shingen clarified.
"Enemies. Territories…" She frowned, "Is this place at war?"
There was a moment of silence before Shingen nodded, "That's right. Takeda and Uesugi are fighting against each other at the moment."
She didn't know what happened after, but she was put back under the covers to rest. The three then took their leave. After doing so, she could hear their voices.
"Shingen-sama. Those creatures that attacked the town." Said the blond hair man.
"Ah." The voice answered in acknowledgement, "The Yakuma have attacked their lands as well."
"It seems that they don't seem to recognize her either. And, her accent and speech…" He continued.
After some silence, Shingen spoke firmly, "Looks like we'll be paying Toyotomi's army a visit soon."
"Shingen-sama, are you thinking…"
There was a hum in response as he answered, "Not yet. For now, the girl will stay with us. She seems a little unstable at the moment. Let her rest first. Also, we need to know who else came with her. They're likely just as confused as she is."
They're words brought a little reassurance in her as she silently prayed for Zack's wellbeing.
As she slept, the green soldier said with a frown, "Shingen-sama, the child's mental state is a little unusual. She's not as shaken after going through that, but it looks as if the killing might not be the topic affecting her."
"I thought something was off too." Shingen replied, "So, I wasn't the only one thinking that. She can speak of things most her age would have trouble processing through. I can't sense much emotions in her speech too. For now, keep a close eye on her."
"Of course." He replied.
The next morning, she woke up and saw the green soldier appear.
"Good morning." He said.
"Good morning." She replied.
He stretched out a hand to her and said, "Today, we're going to return home."
He then handed her her Cardigan with a smile, "I tried getting as much of the blood off."
She took it slowly, "Thank you…"
"You're welcome." His smiled widened a little.
Though the blood on her striped shirt still had yet to be washed off, she wore her clean Cardigan over it and took his hand.
After leaving the shack, she saw two other figures in the distance next to Shingen with the blond hair man. Each had a serious look on their face and each had wolf-like ears.
"What are they talking about?" she looked to the green soldier.
"Just some war plans." He replied with a small smile.
Her approach brought their attention to her as Shingen looked back and saw the two. He nodded with a small smile, "So, you're awake."
She only responded with a small nod.
Amongst the two new arrivals, the bigger man raised a brow seeing her while the other looked to her in suspicions, but, rather than meeting their gaze, her eyes drifted to her surroundings. It was a small clearing in the middle of a forest and in the center of it stood the run down shack she slept in that night. Around them soldiers moved about formally. It was a stiff environment. But, there was some real colors into this. She was snapped out of her trance when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped in surprise and turned to them. She was met with confused gazes.
"You've been spacing out a lot lately…" the blond hair man raised a brow and touched forehead, "Not burning. You also slept for a long time…"
She wore a blank look as they said this. Was it really that unusual? The gazes. They feel rather familiar. It was then that she felt something touch her head.
"We'll take a look at it when we get back, then." Shingen concluded before they began preparing for the trip back.
As they walked back, she could feel gazes on her back, but it didn't matter.
"So, do everyone in Japan have strange hair color too? It's not everyday you see a human with blond hair and blue eyes." The teenage boy asked without much thought.
"Masakage." The blond soldier warned with a frown.
"I was only curious." He responded with a grimace.
However, she didn't respond or heard his question. Instead, she continued to wear a blank look as she looked at the trees they passed by. It was clear that something wasn't quite right with the child. She looked about in silence as the teenage boy with wolf ears cursed under his breath. Her blank look was starting to annoy him. As they talked, she continued to look about their surroundings. There was plenty of trees and bits of grass and weeds along the path. However, there was no signs of the person she was looking for. Her heart sank. Finally, after sometime of walking, they came to a town. The people were all dressed in clothes similar to those of the strange town. She grew curious before the green soldier guided her through the town after the others.
They soon came before a large castle and watched as the others entered before they followed in with them. It wasn't long before she was brought into a guest room that was much similar to her previous place in the old man's house. Paper covered windows and tatami floors. She saw the futons sitting in the corner. It was wider than her own room. The green soldier left before a maid came in. The woman was surprised when she saw her, but she went to work and taught Ray how to put on a blue kimono. It was a little strange and she found it a little hard to move in, but, at least, it wasn't as long as she had seen others wear in Japan for New Years At most, it only reached to her knees. It reminded her a little of the kimono she had seen the children wore in the town. When the maid left, she heard a knock on the door and saw the soldier return.
"Everyone is a little busy at the moment, so just let me know if you need something." He said, "I'm Naito Masatoyo."
"Naito?" She repeated in confusion, "That's your family name, right?"
"Yes. You can call me by my first name, though." He nodded, "Yours is Ray, right?"
She shook her head, "Gardner is. But, everyone calls me Ray."
"Huh?" he raised a brow, "So, there's that difference too."
"What's going to happen now?" she asked.
"It's still a little early to find your friend." He answered with a frown, "So, first, we're going to bring you to see someone in the next couple of days. For now, you can stay here."
She nodded silently. For the rest of the day, she stayed in her room looking through her things and exploring the room while Masatoyo was absent. He had told her that he just needed to go on a quick errand and be back soon, so she took this chance and looked through her bag. Most of her belongings were there. Save for those couple of batteries out of the many and the cloth, she still had her sewing kit and handkerchiefs. Either way, if something were to happen, she can defend herself. The room was wide and empty without much things in them. However, even with all this, she was still unsettled. She wanted to find Zack. The sooner the better. Find him and then a way home. As her stomach growled, she was reminded that she hadn't eaten in two days now and wondered in Zack was hungry too. However, there wasn't much to go on and she didn't have a bag of chips or anything. However, seeing that it was already evening, she wondered how she would get any food.
After she settled in, Masatoyo reported the little bit about the child to Shingen. The man nodded, "It seems we'll have to pay Toyotomi army a visit, then."
As the blond hair soldier nodded and left, Shingen looked to the bamboo bottle sitting next to him and frowned, "It's been a while since the Incident with the Yakumas. That child came here shortly after they reappeared."
"She was a little strange too." The teenage boy grumbled, "Ray, right?"
Masatoyo nodded, "It wouldn't be strange if she didn't see me, but she genuinely didn't notice everyone today. Could she have some health problems?"
"Maybe Yuzuki might know what's wrong with her." The boy said, "She's wears similar clothes as her too, so they could be from the same place. This girl really has a serious problem paying attention too. At this rate, we might as well tap her shoulder instead calling on her."
"We'll see." Shingen said with a frown, "For now, we just need to keep a close eye on her progress and the borders."
"You don't think…" Masatoyo frowned, "That she could a similar situation as Yuzuki, could she?"
"We don't know that for sure."
That night, she was brought to a large room with Masatoyo. The people was already eating when she sat on a mat in the corner next to him. She didn't have too much of a problem with chopsticks, but the feeling was still a little foreign to her. As she ate, she paused as thoughts of Zack and the old man came to her mind. It was then that she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Masatoyo gesture her to the others. She looked to them curiously. When she saw the boy grumble and looked away, Shingen who said, "Since it'll be a while before we can help you find your friend, we'll send you over to the Toyotomi army. They have someone who dresses similarly to you. Maybe she can also explain to you what's going on. We'll follow a little after. I still have some work to take care of here."
She nodded, "All right."
For the rest of the meal, there was an awkward silence around her though the others talked of matters she didn't quite understood. She was curious as to why they had yet to ask her about Zack when they said that they would help search for him.
The next day came around and Masatoyo came to pick her up. She still wasn't familiar with the castle and needed help navigating through the halls. When they arrived outside of the gates, she saw the teenage boy present as well. He looked to her in confusion, "What? You're ready to leave now?"
She nodded as they left on the road. As they walked, they soon arrived at a forest. While walking, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw that it was the boy.
"So, what's Japan like?" He questioned nonchalantly without much care to look back.
"Japan…" Ray repeated in confusion, "There's a lot of high technology and lights that goes on throughout the night. It's a very crowded place and everything moves really fast there. It's hard to keep up. There's also a lot of tall buildings that reach high into the skies. Some are higher than that castle."
"Seriously?!" the boy's eyes widen in surprise before he suddenly turned back with a grumble.
Masatoyo had a small smile and asked, "Then, you've lived there your whole life?"
Ray shook her head, "I moved there two years ago. Before that, I came from America, which was across the sea. That place… wasn't safe anymore."
Her words caught their attention as their ears twitched. They wondered the sort of situation that would make a child move from one country across the sea to another and thought of where their friend Yuzuki might sit in all this. Finally, she looked up to him with a frown, "So, what's your name?"
"Wha-?! You…" the boy turned around with a grimace, "I just introduced myself yesterday and you already forgot?! It's Yamagata Masakage!"
Masatoyo strained a small smile and said, "She probably wasn't paying attention, right?"
She looked to him in confusion which somewhat confirmed his thoughts. The boy sighed, "The sooner we see Yuzuki the better. I wonder if her home is like that too."
They traveled for a while through the woods as she looked up. The straw hat on her head had some weight to it, but not as bad. Everywhere around her was bright and new to her. As she looked about, the sun was already in the sky as the forest receded to a large town. Curious, she watched the people move about before she felt something grab her hand. She looked up and saw that it was Masatoyo.
"There's a lot of people, so try not to get lost." He said.
She nodded. Seeing this, she was then led to another large castle. It seemed a little larger than the previous one where she stayed. She was quiet as Masatoyo and Masakage talked with a person at the large open gate. She couldn't tell what happened just that no matter where she looked, Zack was still missing.
At the gate, a teenage boy with pointy ears, light green clothing, and a red umbrella saw the three with a surprised look on his face.
"One of Takeda's vassals?" he said with a surprise look.
"Um… I'm here too…" Masatoyo added which startled the boy.
"Two?" He said before seeing the child holding his sleeve with an empty gaze.
He watched her curiously as Masatoyo said, "We found this child just in the borders of our territory. Shingen-sama wished to see if Yuzuki might know her."
"Oh…" the boy nodded, "So, she's… I'll be right back!"
He then rushed back in and, minutes later, returned with two people. One of them was another man with a pale blond hair and white uniform and armor. He also had point ears as well. Next to him was a woman with chestnut color hair, pink clothing that was much like those of the child's though not identical, brown shorts, and brown boots. After greeting the two soldiers with a smile, she saw the girl with wide eyes.
"This is…" She began curiously.
"We found her yesterday in our territory." Masatoyo said.
The man watched the girl in silence before he said, "So, do you recognize her?"
The woman looked to him with a troubled look, "No. But, I think I've seen her somewhere."
She got to the child's eye level and said, "Hi. I'm Yuzuki. What's your name?"
Rather than an answer, the girl was quiet as if not noticing her or her presence. Seeing this, Masakage sighed and lightly rapped her head with his knuckles, "Hey, she's asking you a question."
Her eyes suddenly looked up in confusion and saw the girl with a look of confusion, "You are…"
"Ah, I'm Yuzuki." She repeated with a smile, "What's your name?"
She was quiet before she answered, "Rachel… Gardener."
"Rachel… Gardener?" Yuzuki tilted her head in confusion, "That sounds familiar…"
"So, you've never met her before?" Masatoyo asked with a frown.
"I don't think so…" Yuzuki responded with a troubled look.
Seeing this, the man said, "Then, how about we talk about this further inside. There's another reason why you're here, right?"
They nodded. Looking to the child, they saw that she was quiet again. After entering a large room, there was more people around. A man with silver hair. Another who was taller and had black hair. The last one being a man with tan colored hair and green clothing. They all looked to the newcomers. As the two explained the situation, Yuzuki continued to watch the girl as she heard of how she got here. Finally, as if it dawned on her, her eyes widen in surprise as she whispered quietly, "I remember…"
"Huh?"
They all looked to the woman as she walked closer to look at the girl.
"It is her…" she muttered in surprise.
"Yuzuki?" the man with blond hair said with a frown, "You remember?"
Yuzuki nodded, "A few months ago before I found myself here, there was a huge incident that occurred."
"An incident?" the man with the silver hair frowned.
Yuzuki nodded, "It was such a horrible event that it spread like wild fire around the world."
"Around the world?!" Masakage jumped out of his seat in surprise and looked to the girl.
Yuzuki nodded, "I don't know the exact details, but, in another country... a couple was murdered in their house."
"Murder?" the teenage boy said in surprise and looked to the child.
The word made tensed up the atmosphere. It was definitely not something they had expected. She nodded, "It was a family of three. The only survivor was their only daughter. But, it was said that she might've suffered some form of trauma from the incident that day and, for unknown reason, didn't contact authorities for over a week. There was also some bad rumors of the couple after that…"
Hearing this, the blond hair man turned to the teenage boy and said, "Hanbee, take the child out for a stroll in the town."
Masatoyo nodded and turned to Masakage, "Can you go with them too, Masakage?"
Then man looked to him in confusion before he sighed and nodded, "Got it…"
Yuzuki watched as the child walked out after the two teenagers. Once gone, the blond hair man continued, "So, what happened?"
Yuzuki hesitated before seeing their gazes and finally nodded, "It's said that when they found the couple. It was... a horrifying sight. The child's parents were said to have been found stitched together and the room was a mess."
"Stitched?" Masatoyo's eyes widen in shock.
"I don't know the entire details, but it's said that the child had mental problems after that day." Yuzuki said with a troubled look, "A couple months after that, she was found in a building that suddenly exploded. It was said that the killer kidnapped her and killed her counseling doctor was killed by gunshot. The girl was shot as well, but she survived. They said that, after that, she kept asking about the murderer. But, he was locked up by that point and was given the death sentence."
There was a heavy silence in the air before Masatoyo raised a brow, "But, if it was around the world, how come we never heard of this before?"
"Because Yuzuki came from another world." The blond hair man answered with a sigh, "I knew this would happen one day…"
"She came from another world?!" Masatoyo looked to her in surprise as the others did as well.
"We found her that day when she suddenly appeared during the battle again Oda Army." The blond hair man answered, "But this child…"
"A few weeks before I arrived here, the murderer escaped prison the day his sentence came and the girl vanished with him. Nobody found traces of them since that day." Yuzuki explained with a frown, "I heard that there was search parties everywhere, but neither of them were found."
Masatoyo heard this in surprise and spoke up, "Japan. She said that she arrived in Japan two years after she left her hometown across sea."
"Across sea?" Yuzuki's eyes widen in surprise and horror, "But, the place is in America. Japan is almost the other side of the earth. Unless… she hitchhiked her way there? Then, could the murderer also be…"
"You know Japan?" Masatoyo questioned.
Yuzuki nodded, "I lived there before I came here."
The blond hair man frowned, "Then, you should postpone returning to your world. If a murderer that dangerous is around-"
"Actually…" Masatoyo said with a grimace, "When we found her, she said that she had to find a friend and won't leave without him. Could it be…"
The blond hair man turned to Yuzuki, "The murderer?"
Yuzuki frowned, "He's well-known in another country. Issac Foster. Issac is said to be a killer who took countless lives indiscriminately. I only heard about him, but ever saw him. They said that he had a lot of burns over his body so he hides them all under bandages."
"Talk about a bad reputation." The tan hair man muttered with a grimace, "But, why did she call him a friend?"
Yuzuki shook her head, "I don't know. I did manage to meet her once, though."
"You did?" the silver hair man said with a surprised look.
Yuzuki nodded, "A friend of mine was studying psychology and met with Rachel's new counseling doctor. He invited me to see her through a device that lets us communicate over long distances. She told me that she has this… hypoactive… hypoactive delirium? I believe that's it."
"What's that?" the tan hair man asked with a look of confusion.
"I'm not too certain, but they said that she'll have difficulty paying attention to her surroundings and following what others talk about."
Masatoyo looked up in surprise, "When we tried to talk to her numerous, she almost always never responds on time and always has this spaced out look."
Yuzuki nodded, "When I talked to her, she seemed really interested in the bible. A religious book containing words about god. There was also another thing about her having a lack of empathy and having difficulties of expressing emotions. I believe she had this mental condition from birth."
The blond hair man frowned, "Lack of empathy, book about god, and lack of emotions… What if…"
Finally, he looked up to them and said, "Masatoyo, Shingen will be arriving here too, right?"
Masatoyo nodded, "Yes."
"Does he intend to keep the child with him?"
Masatoyo frowned, "At the moment, we aren't certain, but she'll be staying at the castle for now."
The blond hair man nodded, "Then, I'd like to have a word with him after."
After a full day of walking around, Ray returned to the castle with Masakage and Hanbee. During the entire time, she was really quiet and couldn't stop thinking about Zack. She then felt a tap on her shoulder as she looked up and saw that it was the blond hair man.
"Want to have a stroll in the garden?" he said with a grin.
She wasn't certain about it, but nodded. Leaving the two behind, she followed after him. It wasn't long before they arrived at what looked to be a garden as he said, "You know, Yuzuki came from Japan too. But I heard that you moved from another country?"
She nodded and watched as the man sat on the veranda before she was told to do the same.
"Why's that?" He asked her.
"It wasn't safe anymore." She replied.
"Safe?" he raised a brow, "Did it have to do with your parents' death?"
"Parent's death?" she echoed before shaking her head, "We were being chased."
"We?" he said curiously, "Who were you with?"
"Zack." She answered.
There was a moment of silence before he finally let out a sigh, "So, Yuzuki told us about what happened to your parents. Do you think you can tell me what happened that day? Or anything about your parents?"
She looked to him with a blank look on his face as she nodded.
"Father was a policeman and worked with authorities. Mother was always at home, but she always talked a lot. Whenever father came back home, mother and father would always yell a lot. Father always had these bottles with him too. But, one day, the yelling got bad after I brought home the puppy."
"Puppy?" he questioned.
"It was a cute small puppy that I found. It was so cute and I wanted to have it. But, I couldn't bring it home without asking mother and father. So, I tried to ask mother. But, she wouldn't listen, even after dad left the house again. Instead, she kept talking about her secret weapon she kept hidden in the drawer."
"A hidden weapon?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
She nodded, "One day, the yelling got worse after I brought home the puppy. It was a nice puppy too. After I fixed it, it never bit me again and was a good boy. I went to check on my parents and saw father stabbing mother with a knife."
The blond hair man's eye twitched and frowned, "How did you survive?"
"I ran into my room and brought mother's secret weapon with me." She answered, "Then, I used it… Bang…"
After some thought, he sighed and nodded, "I see. Then, how did you meet… Zack?"
"In that building, we made an oath." She answered, "As long as I help him escape, he would kill me."
"Kill you?" he raised a brow.
She nodded, "God only accepts the innocents. If I want to be forgiven, I need to find a sinner to kill me and be given another chance, or God will not accept me."
"Was that what the bible said?" He asked.
She shook her head, "It only said that god would not accept me because of my ideals for perfection. It was in the bible I found in the building. However, after we got out, Zack couldn't kill me. He saved me from dying and got sent to prison. Even after the escape, he told me that he can't kill me with the boring look on my face."
"The boring look on your face… huh?" the man said with a frown before letting out a sigh, "I see. Ah. That's right!"
He tapped her shoulder making certain to get her attention and smiled, "I'm Toyotomi Hideyoshi. So, you want to be forgiven was that why you sought out Zack in the beginning?"
Rachel nodded quietly. He nodded, "I see. Then, can you tell me what happened in that building?"
She looked to him hesitantly, "You believe me?"
Hideyoshi nodded.
"That day." She began, "I found myself in the basement of the building. The basement had many floors and I was part of a game."
"A game?"
She nodded, "A game of the sacrifice and the angels. As the sacrifice, I needed to get past the angels and escape with my life."
"Who were the angels?" he asked with a frown.
"Zack was one of them. Doctor Danny, my counseling doctor. A boy called Eddie. A woman named Cathy. And a priest called Abraham." She answered, "They were the angels. Before that, I was one of them too. My floor was at the top, but Abraham and Danny made me the sacrifice at the time and lose my memories. I didn't find them back till Zack nearly killed Danny and saved me. By killing another Angel, Zack also became a sacrifice for betrayal and we made our promise there. As long as Zack will kill me, I helped him escape from the building."
"And all that was the game?" he asked with a frown.
She nodded, "When I figured out that we could escape from the second floor and not the first, Doctor Danny almost killed me with a gun. Zack helped me escape and find help, but he got arrested at the same time he found the authorities."
Hideoyoshi sighed, "Let me guess. He escaped from prison and broke you out of your counseling place. So the two of you have been on the run since?"
She nodded.
"That look he talked about." Hideyoshi asked, "What kind of look is he looking for?"
She looked to him in confusion, "He said that he hates it when people look so happy, but he's also not satisfied if he killed me with my look. But, no matter how I tried to smile, he never killed me."
Hideyoshi nodded, "I see. And, you don't know where he is now?"
She shook her head, "When I woke up, the town was under attack and soldiers in white were chasing after me."
He nodded, "The Uesugi Territory, huh?"
Suddenly, there was a growling noise as he raised a brow and looked to her. He chuckled, "Well, it's getting to that time, already."
"Hidoyoshi-sama!" Hanbee rushed up to them, "It's time for dinner."
"Great timing, Hanbee." Hideyoshi smiled, "Take Ray over to dinner first. I'll catch up."
Hanbee looked to him in confusion, but soon nodded and led the child away. Seeing Rachel gone, he sat back down and frowned, "So? What do you think?"
From behind him, the door slide open revealing it to be Shingen. The red hair werewolf stood next to him with his arms crossed and furrowed brow. After some thought, he finally sighed, "For now, we'll wait and see. Honestly, I never thought the situation would be this complicated."
"Ah." Hideyoshi nodded in agreement, "We're talking about a family problem, medical problems and murders all at once. Not to mention, that game she took part in. Now, we might even have a killer from another world on our hands. At least, we now know he didn't take part in her family's deaths."
"I thought it would be more difficult to get her to talk about what happened, but you were able to pull that out very easily." Shingen said with a frown, "The problem now…"
"Is she part of the reason why the Yakumas came back." Hideyoshi finished, "And, that's something that I still don't know yet."
"It's still difficult to assume she would be in the same position as Yuzuki. Her blood may not have the ability to awaken." Shingen said, "It also wouldn't be good to test it out on her either, especially since she's also a child."
Hideyoshi nodded, "Yup. It's best that we wait for now. Anyway, have you told Yukimura about her yet? His ninjas were the ones that found her."
Shingen answered, "Yes. They know about her, but they're fairly certain she has nothing to do with this mess."
"Doesn't want to believe the arrival of the girl could be the cause, huh?" Hideyoshi answered, "I can see where they're thoughts are coming from there. It's possible that we'll have to go and find the nest again. Still, is it really safe to let her stay in the castle? You have a murderer out there too."
Shingen sighed, "I said I'd find him for her, so I can't take that back, but he will have to be jailed for a while or even longer."
Hideyoshi shrugged, "We'll just let you take care of that business, but, if we find him here, he'll be finding himself in prison or at the end of our blades."
There was no response to that as the thought of the child came to their mind.
"That reminds me." Hideyoshi spoke up, "Did she have any weapons on her too?"
Shingen frowned, "We're still trying to get her to leave her bag behind so we can investigate. When we found her. She was hugging her bag very tightly. She woke up only after Masatoyo pried it out of her hands."
"You better start doing that soon." Hideyoshi answered, "While we're here, I'm sure Yuzuki can help identify some of the things she has."
"Speaking of her." Shingen frowned, "Who'd have thought that she really was from another world. You certainly surprised everyone today. Even your own vassals."
"That day I found out, your vassals suddenly arrived at my door, so I forgot all about it." Hideyoshi shrugged his shoulders, "It's fine now that they know, right? Honestly speaking, I never thought I'd have to tell this before you vassals too. Think you can keep it a secret?"
"For uncovering more information about the child, I can keep this a secret in return." Shingen responded with a frown, "I only ask that you do the same for the child."
Hideyoshi nodded, "Sounds fair enough."
YueTian: Hey, guys! So, this was a crazy idea of mine. For the first few pages, I was debating whether to go with using the anime version of this or the phone app version. In the end, I went with Anime since I talked with the Fanfic guys and chose anime when they asked it to be either anime or game. It was a difficult choice but, since the English version is still unavailable, I've decided to settle with the anime version. So, I'm sorry if the first few paragraphs didn't make any sense. I'll probably figure it out after I read it again later. Okay. Also, I did not just write the title then the story. I just couldn't think of a title and went with this. Also, it was a bit funny when I thought about it, thanks to the actual song. Too bad the contents of the song doesn't quite fit with Ray since she does care about the bible stuff. Also, I'm not too familiar with the bible since I don't read them. I'm not in the area where I can easily obtain a bible without my parents knowing and looking back into the game is a bit of a trouble, but I guess I'll go through the game later. Well, hoped you thought this was interesting… or cringy. (Edit: I looked back to the bible part that Danny mentioned and corrected it.)
3/20/2019 5:34 PM
