The rain pounded relentlessly onto the gritty asphalt floor. Rivulets ran into my unfocused eyes, streaking down my mud-stained cheeks. My woolen robe was soggy with water, having never been meant for such weather. The cold stung my bare skin and sapped away the remainder of my strength. My life was slowly drained by a puddle of scarlet which bled out from beneath me.
I had failed. Failed to protect my ninja, my warrior, my princess.
From the moment I had entered this world, I had felt a bad premonition. It was a few days later that we had discovered the secret of this isolated world. My magic, the kid's magic, and even our time-travelling manjuu's magic were all useless. In other words, we couldn't leave this dimension without help from the outside.
The black manjuu in the witch's shop had been able to crack this world's shell just enough for our white one to leave. They had promised to send help, but that had been eight months ago. Since then, no help had come, not even the slightest wisp of magical power could be felt.
We had been on the brink of giving up.
When the enemy ambushed us, we were completely off guard.
I laboriously lifted my head ever so slightly. Gazing past the tips of my boots, my blurry eyes made out the figure of a slender, delicate girl leaning daintily against the wall. Or so it seemed.
The polished blade of a long sword stuck out from her abdomen, effectively pinning her to the wall. Hundreds of stray arrows surrounded her figure, with a dozen more embedded in her shoulders and sticking out crudely from her outstretched limbs.
But worse was the look on her face. Her beautiful face was twisted in agony. In fact, it had been because of her that we were here. It was due to her shrill screams of pain that we had been alerted to a hidden ambush.
By the time we broke through the enemy's front line, it was too late. Her yells had dwindled to blubbering sobs and begging of freedom. Her body had been convulsing uncontrollably, and her jade eyes clouded with pain. From the amount of blood pooled at her feet, we knew it was already too late.
Her end came painfully, but somewhat mercifully. An arrow to the neck had severed her jugular and spared her of excess agony. And as suddenly as the deadly flight of a feather-tipped arrow, her last breath left her body.
Without life, her head now hung down. Sweat mixed with blood dripped from limp strands of auburn hair, plopping into the widening crimson puddle beneath her feet.
The gruesome sight of her death was painted to my eyelids. Why such a kind and cheerful girl had to die in a horrid way was something I could not begin to understand.
In her had been a soul as gentle as the petal of a cherry blossom that drifted with the soothing breeze. Yet her will had been strong, unwavering like the sacred tree of her namesake. Her branches stretched like a canopy over us all, uniting us with an unbreakable bond.
She was the one I had dedicated my life to, yet ordered me to treasure myself the most.
She was my one and only princess.
And she was gone.
At the princess's feet lay a young warrior, one much more mature than his age. He had been the protector of the princess and her most treasured person, but in the very end, had failed his task.
He lay crumpled in a heap beside his princess. Being shot by arrows was the obvious cause of his death. Many arrows stuck out from his back, so many that if the situation weren't so dire, I would tease him of being a porcupine.
The instant we heard the princess scream, this young warrior had dashed to his princess without a second thought. The first few arrows that had come flying his way were knocked away by a swing of his sword. However, with each one that he repelled, ten more had taken its place.
The boy was truly like his namesake, as loyal as a wolf. To rush into danger unhesitatingly when needed, yet always acting diplomatic and tactful as well. His sense of honor and devotion was higher than anyone else. He was wild yet reliable, honest yet sincere, and a person you knew you could count on.
Arrows thudded, his sword clang to the ground. Even after being seriously wounded, he had shielded the immobile princess with his body. By the time the ninja and I were within fighting distance, the boy was already gone too far to survive.
I had rushed forward to defend the kids, and who knows, maybe even die for them like they did for each other. But, the ninja stopped me. I had hoped that my judgment was wrong and that there was still some hope, but the ninja's action froze me in my tracks.
Promise me that from now on, the thing most precious to you will be yourself, or so the princess told me. If not for those words echoing in my head at that moment, I would have rushed in after the boy regardless of what the ninja would do.
The ninja and I could only watch as the boy coughed up an unbelievable amount of blood before he slumped forward onto the princess's body. Even in death, still protecting his princess, I thought ironically.
His body shook with the impact of even more arrows before it knocked him to the ground. His fingers had scrabbled feebly on the dirt, failing to reach his sword that was only a few inches away.
After that, he lay still as stone. The sword's beautifully carved golden handle was now crusted with blood and mud. Its blade shone dully, teasing at the duty the boy wasn't able to fulfill.
Beside me lay the body of my last comrade, the ninja. He was a professional fighter, and looked and acted exactly fitting the role. He may have acted gruff and apathetic, but he was the one I felt the closest bond with.
I cannot list how many times I have been ashamed of myself for crossing the line with him. The line drawn by my catastrophic past and my bleak future. It was the line that meant everything to me. Years of loneliness had built up that inner defense, yet it shattered to pieces by the influence of a single person.
The ninja saw through the frozen surface of my demeanor and dared to expose the choppy waters underneath.
He was the one who stopped me from rushing forth to help the boy and princess, and I cannot forgive him for that. But even more so, I can't forgive myself for not resisting. His fingers gripped tightly around my arm, his deep crimson eyes piercing into mine.
But in the end, it was he whose soul shattered first. He drew his sword with a crisp ringing noise and dived headfirst into the mass of enemies. Arrows, swords, and even blunt fists came at him, but he was unstoppable. Some hits connected, but he didn't flinch the slightest bit.
I was stunned. I could only watch in horror as bloody lines opened on his tan skin and arrowheads stuck into his back. The berserk rage in his eyes stopped me in my tracks.
He was like an ingot of dark steel. Steady and unwavering, his silent determination had supported us all. He was our guardian and our shield. His sturdy soul became the armor that covered our fragile group, preventing us from breaking and giving up.
Even until the very end, the courage to defy fate shone in his crimson eyes.
The ninja alone must have taken down dozens of enemies, but more kept filing out from the shadowy crevices of the dense evergreen forest. The constant stream of enemies seemed to be endless.
As time wore on, I sensed that the ninja was slowing down. His actions grew sluggish, and his swings became less accurate. The dance of his sword suddenly jerked to a stop as a sword pierced deeply into his shoulder. With that simple misstep, his balance was gone for a split second.
Wasting no time, an injured figure behind the ninja threw himself off the ground and aimed his sword at the wounded ninja's heart. Before I could comprehend my actions, my body had moved with magical speed in the path of the sword.
A burst of pain shot through my chest as the sword pierced at an opening in my rib cage. From the nearly inaudible pop and my sudden lack of breath, I knew that it had pierced my lung.
Hearing my scream, the ninja whirled around, snapping out of his rage. I could see the shock and the burning question in his eyes. Why did you do such a stupid thing? I could almost hear him growl.
But as he opened his mouth to speak, a sword stuck into the back of his neck and out his throat. I heard a dreadful gurgling sound as the ninja choked on his own blood. Even as he fell backwards, he gave me a faint, knowing smile.
Then the moment was over. The enemies wasted no time in stabbing the ninja's body with numerous swords to make sure he was dead. His chest and abdomen was mutilated into masses of raw, red flesh.
After the death of the ninja, I had no will to fight. My actions were feeble at best and soon I, too, was knocked down. Pain flared up all over my body, but I didn't care anymore.
Everyone I had treasured was gone. Every single one.
Please kill me, I tried to whisper. But no sound came out of my mouth. I could only stare at the feet of our ambushers as they leaped away, probably afraid of any reinforcements from our side.
Then the rain started. Stinging droplets pelted my face, but I had no energy to wipe them away. Intakes of breath grew harder with each passing second as my punctured lung took its toll on my bleeding body.
I sensed that at this rate, my death would be slow and agonizing. My struggle for breath wore down my body as rivulets of scarlet blood mixed with the heavy rain, forming an ugly pink puddle.
I stretched out a hand, grunting with effort. My fingers wiggled until I felt the slippery blade of the ninja's bloody sword. I grabbed it with both hands, ignoring the deep cuts to my palm. I dragged the sword toward me until its tip rested on my chest, just above my heart.
At least I had the chance to choose my own death, I thought wryly.
Images of the princess, boy, and ninja ran through my muddled mind. My comrades, my friends, my family. To me, who had nothing left, they had been everything to me. And now they were gone. Everything I treasured was gone.
And so, with the remainder of my strength, I pulled the sword toward my heart as fast as my tired arms would allow.
Goodbye, I whispered in my mind.
Slowly, ever so slowly, I felt my last tendril of consciousness sneaking away… fading away…
-x-
The heavy rain pounded down on the forest relentlessly, as if the heavens themselves were crying. A strong wind rushed forth, rustling leaves and knocking down even the tallest trees. The only exit from the clearing was blocked, trapped by a dense wall of fallen evergreens.
A day and night later, the rain finally ceased its assault. Minute rays of golden sunlight peeked out and shone through the blanket of pure white clouds. Gentle curls of mist swept through the silent land, enveloping the wet, bloodstained battlefield in its chilly embrace.
x-x-x-x-x
A/N: Don't know why I started to write again, but here it is. This idea popped into my head at midnight, wrote until 2am.
I'm not really good at first person, since I tend to describe more of the scene than the actual character's thoughts. I just can't get into a character's head and understand their thoughts. Also, I have a way of abusing the use of commas.
Anyway, it's my first TRC fic. Tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is appreciated~
-Yume no Tsubasa