Chapter One:
We had scarcely sat down to rest when darkness fell, not the dark of a moonless or cloudy night, but as if the lamp had been put out in a closed room. You could hear the shrieks of women, the wailing of infants, and the shouting of men. Many besought the aid of the gods, but still more imagined there were no gods left, and that the universe was plunged into eternal darkness for evermore.
-Pliny the Younger
"Yet each man kills the thing he loves, by each let this be heard: some do it with a bitter look, some with a flattering word. The coward does it with a kiss, the brave man with a sword"
-Oscar Wilde
In a world far, far away, lies a canyon. The canyon was between what the people of the world named the land of fire and the land of wind. The people in this world are different from the one you will be reading about, but many other worlds are different. In this world, there were people who were very strong and contained within them what would appear to be magic to you and me. These men and women were called shinobi. Now this canyon which lays far, far away from us, was a canyon which no shinobi dared to enter.
Rumors surrounded the canyon and some would give you and me nightmares. They most certainly gave those strongest men and women nightmares also. The rumors said that the canyon was the playground for the dead souls of criminals. Other rumors spoke of gods or the Kami which supposedly roamed the valley. Little did the rest of that far off world know that in the very bottom of the deep canyon, was a village. The village rested in the canyon in what the locals called the Valley of Shadows.
Now the Valley of the Shadows was appropriately name because it rarely saw the light of the sun or the shine of the moon; the canyon was so dark that the valley was filled with shadows. And true to being rumors, some of them actually told the truth. The Valley of the Shadows was filled with demons and restless spirits. The Shinigami's—gods of death—pets even roamed the land and were free to prey on any fools who entered the canyon. The pets of death actually were quite hungry, that is until the village was made.
The name of the village was the Village of Death or Shi No Mura. Now, you probably think that the village was named this because of the pets, and that is partly true. But the name also came from the history and rough beginnings of the village. The village first came into being when large groups of S-ranked—extremely vicious and highly skilled—criminals and shunned shinobi clans fled for their lives. Everyone who entered the village, entered with the knowledge that they would probably die; well, it was probably higher than just probably. But somehow, maybe through the resilience of humans or by sheer dumb luck, some lived. The people weren't out of the woods though. The village which they founded was plagued with sickness, famine, and attacks from the pets of death.
Goes to say, the Village of Death had many problems. These problems faded into white noise when a certain family rose up and brought peace to the land. That family was named Marusame clan. They were powerful and contained a special ability ingrained in their bloodline. It came to be known as blue fire and was a mix of lightning and fire. It was said to decapitate a person, all the while cauterizing the wound at the same moment. This is how they protecited the village—three rings of the blue fire. They protected the village and through their rule, the time of peace continued for years. No clan actually questioned their word or authority for years after that. But like all good things, that came to end.
For many years the Marusame clan ruled, but another family grew popular and gained support. This family wanted to rule; this family craved power, and was going to obtain it no matter what. The family that was power hungry was named the Okinawa clan. Though just as powerful as the Marusame clan, they were cruel and often showed no mercy or regard for those weaker than themselves. This deadly combination of greed and cruelty formed into a plan. That plan was to overthrow the Marusame clan. The plan was extensive and if you ask me, a little too complex. But they did start the five year plan, when the clan heiress was born.
I guess you could say that this is her story. But she isn't special yet.
A young bright-eyed girl walks around the living room. She is anticipating the day that is here, and yet so far, at the same time. It is extremely early for most people, but the girl was used to it. Today is the little girl's birthday. She turns 5 and as clan heiress, she is to be formally introduced to her people. The girl is the Village of Death's princess. But somehow, she didn't see the villagers- who saw her with such love and reverence-as below her.
The sunlight which rarely showed itself in the canyon, makes a special appearance. The light is cast upon the young girl and is almost wishing her happy birthday. The young girl, now visible to the world in a ray of sunshine, is beautiful. Her hair is a dark black which rivaled the canyon. Her wide and almost old eyes are a dark gray. She is dressed in a dark blue kimono and lighter blue obi; her body is delicate, almost sickly, but showed training that she had started only a year ago. The girl stands tall, with an air of dignity and an elderly knowledge, but her stance also conveys childlike curiosity.
The young girl sighs with an expression which is beyond her years and turns from the window to the hall. Her parents are supposed to be up at any moment. They young girl has no doubt they would begin the day with their normal routine of stretching and chakra control. Then, as usual, her mother would demand that she be brought in. For her mother, she is far too skinny for comfort and as much as the girl hates to admit it, she is right. The girl turns back to the window and can see that the sunlight's moment of glory is over and she is plunged into darkness one more. Another heavy sighs racks her body.
"If you keep doing that, you're going to develop wrinkles," a soothing voice chimes like bells. The young girl masks her displeasure at being teased and turns to her mother. The woman is tall and already dressed in her green kimono with matching obi. The older woman has blond hair that is almost ashy in the shadows of the valley and her green eyes are almost gray at times. The woman is also one of the most beautiful people the girl has ever set her eyes on, but her beauty only intensified when she looked upon her only child.
"Forgive me mother," the girl replies. Her voice was like light bells and rivals in beauty with her mother's. "I was merely thinking about today's schedule of events."
"Ah, yes, I almost forgot that today was your birthday," her mother says with a face of faux-realization. The girl fully knew that her mother would never forget what today was; she had only planned the entire day full of events.
"Yes, today is the day I will be introduced to the village" the girl says, a slight smile lighting her angelic features. "I am really looking forward to meeting everyone, though I must admit I am quite nervous".
"You will do great Keiko. For you are the blessings to our family and a blessing to all of the village" her mother tells her softly, coming to her daughter's side. She rests a hand on the girl's shoulder and both turn to peer out the window at the rows of houses their compound overlooked. The village was large and contained almost a thousand people. Though it is small compared to everywhere else, the village was large in the demon-filled land.
"I see you both are already worrying about today" says the male voice behind them which held both authority and a kind air. The women turn to face him. Keiko's father is dressed as always in his black yukata. His hair resembled that of Keiko's and hangs down his back pulled together by a band. His blue eyes look to his wife's and he smiles happily. Keiko's mother releases her hand from her daughter's shoulder and moves with all the grace of a swan, to her husband.
"Would you like fish for breakfast?" her mother asks her father and moves to kitchen.
"Only after training, Keiko still has a long way to go" her father replies somewhat blandly.
"You are going to train her even today dear? I thought it would be best if we ate and then moved on to greeting the village?" her mother quietly yells with slight surprise in her voice. Keiko could never understand how her mother could yell, but her voice never grow any louder than normal.
"No, today she will be introduced but she should not stray from her routine. A solid routine makes a good man, but a—"
"But a never-ceasing routine makes the strongest of them all" Keiko interrupts, her face holding child-like smile for saying this before her father.
"There is my small blessing" her father endearingly says. He begins to walk to her but not without gently caressing his wife's hand. He would never want her to be angered by him, in all honesty she was one to be feared when enraged.
Keiko looks up at her father, her wise yet childlike gray orbs watching his older blue ones. Her father reaches for her hand and they walk out into the patio. Keiko reveled in the moment of happiness; her hand, she noted, was so much smaller than her father's calloused palm. Outside the house, was vegetation that Keiko sees quite often but is scarce in other parts of the world. The land is a mix of rock and moss, lanterns on poles casting shadowed light. Walking a little farther, Keiko's father releases her hand and stands across from her.
Then they began, facing towards the town. First came stretching and Keiko could feel her often tight joints loosen in both relief and pain. When they were finished, Keiko moves onto chakra control. The young girl calls blue fire to body. She was both a blessing and curse. On one hand, she had the innate ability to summon blue fire without handsigns. She can merely will it and it would be so. But this came at a price. Her body is often sickly and she wasn't expected to live. Her mother was actually infertile, but Keiko was born with this strange give and take of energy. Keiko was in short, like what her name meant: a blessing.
When Keiko is nearly ready to pass out, her exercise is finished. She and her father walk back inside and the family gathers around the table for a simple breakfast of rice, porridge, vegetables and fish. The nervousness which crept into Keiko is beginning to eat away at her morale. It would only be an hour until she would be introduced to the village. Keiko could feel the butterflies overtake her stomach.
"You will be fine," her mother says soothingly, taking in her daughter's stress. Keiko's mother lays a calming hand on her daughter's shoulder. "The village is excited to see you. There is absolutely no need to be scared."
"I am not scared," says the young girl. Her angelic face makes a slight pout and she revels in the emotion. But the moment is over and she schools her features back into a blank face. Keiko knows the importance of seeming without emotions. She knew which situations called for a smile, some for a grimace, and some for a tear-eyed look. The girl was aged well beyond what her body showed. Keiko could say that it was mainly a consequence of her being bed-ridden since a year ago. Lessons in politics and writings the only things she was able to do.
"Of course not," her father laughs. The girl in turn, looks to her father and shares a small smile with him.
The rest of the meal is eaten in a comfortable silence. Keiko finishes, her stomach still lined with uneasiness. Turning to the clock, she notes that it is only ten minutes until she has to appear outside the fence of her home.
Her mother gets up and takes the plates and bowls. Placing them into the sink, her mother gives Keiko a large smile. The older woman motions for her daughter to follow and the girl obediently follows her mother into her parent's bedroom. Her parent's bedroom was large and as always extremely clean. Their classic wood style home was always spotless, but her mother's room is immaculate.
Her mother then went to her makeup dresser and takes out a silver box. The box was a plain little thing, Keiko noted slightly. But when her mother opens the box, in it was the most beautiful thing that Keiko had ever seen. It is a silver hair comb and even through the shadowed light, it shone with a beauty not of any world. In the center lays a sapphire the size of a grape, which is accompanied by a row of small rubies along the base. The piece itself seems too beautiful for anyone to touch let alone wear.
"Mother, it is beautiful" Keiko whispers quietly, the amazement of the piece not being hidden in her voice. "Thank you so much."
"You deserve this Keiko, for you are my blessing, and this is my gift to you" her mother smiles upon her daughter. She then turns and gestures for her daughter to sit at the small vanity mirror across the room. Eagerly Keiko walks and unladylike plops onto the chair. Keiko is filled with happiness as her mother moves her hands through the young girl's hair. When her mother is done, Keiko's hair is in a simple bun with the comb on the side.
"My do you look beautiful, Keiko" her father says from the doorway. He looks as if he were about to cry, but appears to keep it in for the sake of his reputation.
"Thank you father" Keiko replies softly still mesmerized with the girl in the mirror. The girl in the mirror did not show any signs of nervousness, but excitement. The girl is breathtakingly beautiful.
"It is time" her father announces as Keiko rises from the chair and beams at her mother. Keiko then takes her mother's hand and together they leave their house. They emerge on the same patio that Keiko had practiced on earlier and pause before the wooden fence which concealed their home.
"Are you ready Keiko?" her mother asks, gently squeezing her hand.
"Yes mother" Keiko replies, schooling her features into that of a pleasant smile. The smile is certainly not forced and showed true happiness.
Knowing his daughter was ready, Keiko's father opens the door and they all step outside. Keiko, still clutching her mother's hand, gazes upon her village for the first time. The sight is one to behold. Houses went on for miles and miles, all of them different colors; the lanterns which lit the Village of Death, casting light on the people, but instead of looking intimidating the darkness is friendly. The people in the darkness, look at Keiko with eager and shining faces, pure happiness gracing their features.
The roars of cheering starts and Keiko is somehow startled. She never expected her people to scream and clap for her. She covers her surprise with a large smile. The people cheer even louder and Keiko smiles even wider. After a few moments, her father raises his hand. The villagers immediately stop and grin at their leader.
"I want to thank all of you for coming today" her father speaks with authority and genuine thanks. "I would like to present my heiress and beautiful blessing, Keiko. May today be a day of celebration!"
When he ends there is silence for two heartbeats. The crowd immediately goes back to cheering for their leading family. Keiko is so happy, words can never begin to express her love for her people. She looks up to her mother and her beauty outshines all the beauty Keiko had ever seen. Then Keiko looks to her father and she sees so much respect and kindness in his expression that she could only hope to be half the leader he is.
'These are my people,' Keiko thought with amazement. 'I vow to always protect them. Even if this vow costs me my life.'
Then just as the crowd's roar begins to dwindle, a howl is heard in the distance. A flash of blue light flicks through the air. The people's cheers turn into bloody screams. Another blue light flicks through the air, and Keiko turns to her father. Her father's face is solemn and even hinted with fear. For a heartbeat, the young girl prays that the third and last barrier would hold. The three rings are the only things protecting them from the demons on the outside. Keiko's mother turns and tugs Keiko back into the fence. Another surge of blue is seen and Keiko knows that their last hope is gone.
Her mother throws her within the fence. Keiko falls to the ground with a great force and can hear the fence shut behind her. Screams ring through the air. An invasion has just begun.
Keiko can't begin to fathom how this had happened. She stares blankly at the fence, not really comprehending what she is looking at. Demons just entered the village. Demons hadn't entered the village in hundreds of years.
'How were they able to enter the village now? It was impossible for the rings to be disarmed from the outside. Therefore, someone from the village let the wards fall' Keiko realizes slowly.
The screams of her people could be heard from outside the fence. Keiko's parents must drive them out. The young girl knew that her parents were extremely capable shinobi, but for them to defeat a hoard of demons, that is an almost impossible task. Keiko didn't know if her people could defend themselves from demons.
'These are demons! Demons are invincible,' Keiko thinks nervously.
"Who would do such a thing," Keiko mutters to herself. The girl rises to her feet, noticing the blood on her hand where she landed when her mother threw her. "Please, Kami-samas, keep my people safe."
The girl knows that the gods had long ago abandoned the valley to the demons. But it was worth a try and her small voice wants the Kami to take pity. The screams begin to dwindle. Over the fence she could see flashes of blue flames and she realizes the battle was coming to a close. The girl sits in silence looking at the fence and awaiting her parents' return. The morning is silent for some time and the girl waits anxiously, the oil-lanterns casting a shadowed glow over her body. Even in this time of great stress, the girl still remained beautiful.
The battle must have taken only ten minutes, when the wooden door opens. Keiko, who had sat back down, stands quickly almost losing her footing and warily gathering blue fire to her hands. But the door reveals her parents clutching one another. They pass quickly through the gate and some other men follow them in. There are about three men, Keiko noted hurriedly, all from what she assumes is the Okinawa clan. The three men each bear a tattoo on their right cheek the shape of a five pointed-star. Keiko runs to her parents, relief washing over her.
"Mother, Father," Keiko says relieved, merely a foot away and looking up at them. Her parents look wearily down at her. Her father's clean yukata is ripped and he bears a deep cut along his chest. Her mother on the other hand, has blood of her victims on her face and her kimono is only dirtied. Keiko schools her face into her façade and looks blankly at the Okinawa men who quietly shut the gate. She turns back to her mother, realization that they are alive washing over her.
"Keiko, are you alright?" her mother asks softly when the girl buries her face in her legs. The girl raises her head and looks at her mother with a questioning look.
"Yes mother, now that I know you are alright, I will be fine. But how are the villagers faring?" Keiko actually wants to blurt out who let the wards down, but feels that the matter would be better discussed from prying ears.
"The demons have been taken care of, they ran off after we defeated a few," says a rough voice of the largest Okinawa men. Keiko not liking how he butted into her mothers and hers conversation, merely looks at him blankly.
"And I assume that some of the villagers were killed in the exchange. How many losses did we suffer?" Keiko asks the man in a voice well beyond her years. He gives her a grin, a grin one would use looking at a child playing dress-up. Keiko glares coldly at the man when he didn't answer. She did not like to be ignored, especially now of all circumstances.
"We lost maybe fifty people, another fifty wounded" her father tells her softly, as if afraid that his words would strike her. "The demons were Okamiyasha, and the pack suffered some loses."
'It was from the pack of demon wolves, that is why there was a howl. But why would they howl before the ward fell. The demons would not have known that they could battle, unless they were foretold,' Keiko thinks internally and schools her distressed face back into blank calm.
Keiko nods and moves away from her parents. She watches them as they walk into the house, their weariness and injuries really showing. Keiko can feel her face turning into a concerned frown, but as she turns back to the Okinawa men, she schools her features into a blank face. She gazes upon the men and watches them closely. The largest is around forty years old and is dressed in all black shinobi gear- black mesh top, black loose pants with bandages on the ankles, and black open-toed sandals. A katana is at his back and he appears to be completely unscathed. They young girl would have never guessed that he was just fighting for his life moments ago, if it not had been for the dirt on his face. The other two are younger than the first—around twenty years—and are dressed similarly but in a dark red. They wear weapons pouches on each leg and katanas are at their backs.
"Well aren't you going to invite us in little girl?" the largest asks, a cocky grin on his face. Keiko is not amused by his words. People never entered the protected fence, let alone their home. She also did not like the way these men dressed. They dressed for battle, though a battle was not supposed to be close to anything which happened today.
"Customarily, one would exchange names before entering someone's home" Keiko replies dryly, her blank face still in place. The man's large grin appears to grow wider while Keiko's faces turns into a hardened glare.
"Forgive us for this, Heiress, I am the head of the Okinawa clan Dai, and these are my two sons, Keiichi and Keiji" the leader says, the grin never leaving his large face and further accentuating the star on his cheek.
'I am beginning to resent this man' Keiko thinks angrily. The sons look upon her with blank faces. 'The sons, I can handle.'
"Very well, welcome to my home Okinawa-sama. I hope that it will suit your liking," Keiko bows slowly, some hair coming loose and falling into her face. The clan leader chuckles and bows back to the young girl. Her parents who look out from the kitchen window were pleased with her actions. They go back to wrapping her father's injuries with slight smiles on their faces.
Keiko turns and leads her esteemed guests into the house. She did not trust these men. Her mind was screaming at her that they look like they were prepared for the battle. But she couldn't go against her parents.
'If they thought these men were our allies, than so be it' Keiko thought.
The men follow the small girl into the house, their steps being deadly silent like highly trained shinobi. Keiko's parents already sit at the dining table. The girl's father is bandaged and he looks at the Okinawa leader with suspicious eyes. He was thinking exactly what his daughter was thinking moments before. Keiko takes a seat between her parents. The Okinawa men sit across from the Marusame family. An uncomfortable silence fills the air. The small table seemed even smaller; there was twice as many people at the small table which was only made for four. Keiko once again looks to the Okinawa leader and feels surprise when she sees he was staring back at her.
"Okinawa-sama you said you wished to discuss what happened out there. You mentioned you had information about how the wards were disarmed" her father breaks the silence with a stern voice. The Okinawa clan head turns his head to meet the Keiko's father's eyes. The Okinawa man's eyes narrow ever so slightly and Keiko feels her father tense at the look.
"We did Marusame-sama" the large men says, the grin returning to his face. Keiko didn't understand. Did he mean he said he held information on who disarmed the wards or did they disarm them? Keiko's mother tenses, thinking exactly the same thing. The older woman then puts a hand on her daughter's shoulder. Keiko, is comforted slightly through the sign of affection, but does not lose her blank face.
"Please clarify for us Okinawa-sama," her father says tersely, hoping it wasn't the worst.
"We disarmed the puny wards of yours and allowed the demons into the village. Though the deal was that they were to kill you three then leave once we 'defeated' them, but obviously that plan failed" says the clan leader with a cocky grin. His grin now turns into a disappointed face. He turns his now cold eyes onto Keiko and he sees her tense. He grins manically like he just won a game. The large man likes to see the young girl scared.
"What is the meaning of this?" Keiko mother practically growls. The woman keeps one hand under the table, bringing a kunai out of her hidden weapons pouch. Keiko knowing she should prepare herself, quietly brings blue fire to her hands. The Okinawa sons then tense and Keiko notices they reached for their katanas.
'This isn't the best of situations' thought Keiko grimly, 'mother and father are still not recovered and the Okinawa aren't the easiest of people to defeat.'
"Oh, the meaning of this is that you have served long enough. You see, the village, is weak because of you. Because of your kindness, the village has become soft. We should have exterminated those demons years ago. But you need not worry about that anymore, because you won't be here anymore, but something like six feet under," the Okinawa leader says, as he rises and pulls his katana from its scabbard.
The leader flips the table over while Keiko's mother grabs the young girl and jumps back. Keiko's father pushes the table back into the Okinawa men's faces, though they already moved. The table crashes through the paper doors of the back door, while the two clan leaders move fast towards one another. The sound of metal crashing with metal fills the air. Keiko's mother once again pushes Keiko to safety, this time into the kitchen.
The woman then turns to face the two Okinawa sons. Both of them already had drawn their katanas as they leap at Keiko's mother. Metal once again clashes with metal. Keiko didn't know what to do. She didn't want her family to be slaughtered right in front of her, but she knows she isn't anywhere near strong enough to help her parents. She closes her eyes for a heartbeat and wills the tears back. When she opens her eyes she sees her father holding a kunai alight with blue fire. He and the Okinawa head are already breathing hard—her father from exhaustion and the large man from a cut to his stomach which is bleeding profusely.
Her father lunges forward with the blue kunai, as the large men deflect it with his katana. Keiko's eyes widen as she watches the kunai cut through katana, the kunai powerful while filled with her family's bloodline limit. She didn't avert her eyes as she watches her father knock the broken katana out of the larger man's hand. She didn't even blink when she saw her father grab him and slit his throat, blue fire from the kunai enhancing the power. The Okinawa leader's head merely falls to the ground with a thud.
Keiko averts her eyes then, but with the purpose of looking to her mother's fight. She turns just as the younger boy severs her mother's head from her body. Keiko screams. She is frightened. But soon enough the fear turns to anger as she watches the older boy kick her mother's fallen body.
'Mom wasn't strong enough. Mom wasn't strong enough. Mom wasn't strong enough' the mantra going through Keiko's head over and over.
Keiko is in shock. She couldn't help it. She curls into a ball edging herself into the corner of the kitchen, trying to escape this nightmare.
Her father then jumps at the two men, eyes burning with hatred. The men are ready for his blue fire. They reinforce their katanas with wind and meet Keiko's father's blows. Keiko watches the scene play out. Her father matching blows with the two, too weak to actually finish them off. The exchange lasts longer than expected. Keiko sitting in her corner, her wide eyes filling with fear and anger. It takes another ten minutes for her father to finally land a death blow on the younger Okinawa brother.
Her father constructing blue fire to make the blade of the kunai longer, finally sunk it into the heart of the younger brother. The younger stares with fearful eyes as he slumps to the ground, having taken his last breath. Her father pulls another kunai out to block the other brother. But the metal of the katana splits the kunai. Her father hadn't reinforced the new kunai with blue fire. He is too drained of chakra from the finishing blow he previously dealt.
Keiko watches as the katana severs her father's head. The head falls to the ground with a plop and rolls next to his wife's head. Both pairs of lifeless eyes stare in horrified expressions at Keiko. But Keiko couldn't look away. She wills for herself to wake up. She wills for the nightmare to be over. The oldest Okinawa boy steps over the dead bodies and makes his way to Keiko. His body moving like a lion before a harmless antelope. He sheaths his katana and then kneels down before her.
Keiko tires to make herself become calm, but the feeling never comes. She is too scared for that, so she settles for a mild glare at the man. He puts his face inches from hers and grins psychotically. The young girl continues to glare, hoping that he would end her quickly.
"So arrogant for having seen your parents cut down before you. Tell me, why are you so stubborn? Why don't you begin to plead with me for your life, eh?" he asks the girl. His voice is like satin and would make any person bow down to him. Keiko forces herself not to tremble and glares harder at the man.
"What is the use in pleading? You would kill me anyways. At least now I will die with my dignity" she says loudly and boldly.
Keiko hopes that he would take off the katana from his back and end her quickly. She would never admit it, but she was filled with fear. If only he would end her quickly. The young man does nothing of the sort. Instead, he chuckles darkly and then reaches for her. Keiko doesn't make a move. She resigns herself to death and the man cradles her in his arms. The beautiful and scared girl looks into his eyes. They young man would be quite handsome-had they been in a different situation-his bright blue eyes accentuated by his tattoo. They young man walks over the bodies which littered the home and out the door.
'Where is he taking me?' Keiko asks herself mentally.
They leave into the open town. No one is on the streets. In a stark contrast to earlier in the day, now, there is no one anywhere. The village is silent as death itself. The man then jumps down from the steps of her home and runs on the roofs. Keiko notices that he is leading her out of the village. This realization makes Keiko even more scared. She would rather die here than be food for the demons. The man tightens his grip on her and Keiko gathers blue fire into her hands. She raises her hand to the man's face.
"Like what you s—"
He never gets the chance to finish. Keiko lays her hand with blue fire on his cheek and burns an imprint of her hand on his face. He screams and drops the young heiress. Keiko falls off the roof but reinforces her legs with chakra so the impact wouldn't hurt. She then takes off running in the opposite direction, towards home.
'If I could get home, I could seal myself inside' she thought quickly.
Through the empty streets, a ball of dark blue ran home. The shadows seemingly dancing while the girl darts down streets in the direction of home. Keiko could see the fence which would save her when she is knocked down from behind. She falls with great impact and turns to the Okinawa heir. He proceeds to backhand her right cheek. She could see his face alight with fury and the fresh new scar still sizzling on his cheek. He takes out his kunai and runs it down Keiko's cheek.
The girl screams. The man is carving into her left cheek. Blood is dropping onto the small girl's kimono. Keiko screams louder and bats at the man even more. She summons blue fire but the man then holds her hands behind her back and she is too weak to free them. The man finishes and Keiko began to see black spots in her sight. She gazes at the bloody kunai and notices wind around it.
'No wonder it hurt so much' Keiko thought through the haze of pain. 'Why had no one come out to help me?'
"Scream all you want girlie, no one is gonna save you. They all want you dead or they're under a genjutsu" the man replies laughing. Looking at her cheek he smiles at his handiwork. "Now you're just like me. Payback's a real bitch ain't it honey."
For the first time that night Keiko begins to cry. Tears flowed freely as the man wretches her up and ties her hands behind her. He once again cradles her in his arms and set off towards the exit. Keiko could hardly stay awake. The pain and blood loss made her sleepy and she knew if her face was to bleed some more she would die. She didn't mind the death, but she didn't want to fall asleep while with this man. Therefore, Keiko did the only thing that she could do, cauterize the wound. She brought blue fire to her face and bites down on her lip to keep from screaming. The blue fire hurt, but she stopped the bleeding from her torn up face.
The man brings her to the exit and stands before the large stone gate. He pulls out his katana and promptly cut her free. Keiko is then dropped to the ground. Too tired to brace herself, she merely falls in a heap at the man's feet. She makes an attempt to stand up, but the man kicks her. She flies a few feet before clutching her stomach in an attempt to soothe the pain.
"Now girlie, I am gonna let you go, but on one condition you ain't never gonna come back" the man says with an air of humor. He is really enjoying this.
"And what if I come back?" Keiko asks in an attempt to anger him enough to kill her.
"Then that scar, ain't gonna be the only thing you get" he replies smoothly. He raises his katana to the girl who is huddled five feet away. Keiko prays silently that he would just kill her, but he doesn't. Instead, the man merely cut her in a way which wouldn't kill her if she used the blue fire. Keiko not being able to withstand the pain the new cuts brought on, burns them to a close. When the man is done he grabs her by the hair and walks out of the village. They walk through three rings.
'They are using wind chakra as new wards' Keiko notes dumbly, the pain making her mind fuzzy.
She is too tired. Upon exiting the last ring, he throws her to the ground. Again she lands hard and the man laughs at her. She stands and wills herself to put the pain aside. Instead she puts her façade on and looks at the Okinawa heir with a blank face. He stops laughing.
"Stop that" the man yells angrily. When Keiko didn't reply, he continues, "Stop with that blank look. I hate that look. You think you are so much better than me. You Marusames always thought you were so much better than us. Now look at you. The last of a dying clan. Stop it! Stop it now!"
Keiko merely stares on with her blank look. She keeps that look even when the man charged at her, katana raised high in the air. She keeps that look even when he stabs her the stomach. She keeps that look even when she falls to the ground, her body warm with blood. She keeps that look when he turns his back on her and returns to the village. She keeps that look even when her life is ending and she catches glimpses of wolves and a man dressed in foreign clothing. She keeps that look even when she closed her eyes and felt death brush by her body, but not enough to kill her.
Instead, death merely grazes her, a soft kiss from the strange power. Now, you and I would guess that the young girl would have died. But she most certainly didn't die. In fact, this is her story; a story made important because she just became special. A story of a girl who just so happened to have tasted death and lived. A story of a girl who wouldn't be important without that blessed kiss by death.
Hey everybody. This is my first fanfiction, and I am glad you at least got this far down into the story so far. Just want to say that the story will pick up pace around chapter six or so. I'll probably be doing some minor editions on these chapters later. And as I say, this being my first, I want and would really appreciate it if you review. The more you review the better writer I will become. Thanks and please read on!
(I do not own Naruto)
I thank you for clicking on my story! Please follow, fave, review, obsess. Thanks so much!