Hello world! Here's the first chapter of my story!
It follows the plot of the game (that is "Demon of the Fleeting Blossom"), but very loosely. I'm going to change and add various things, kind of making my own version of it.
Our heroine is an OC, it is the very same lady that some of you might have already met. If not, feel free to read this story's prequel – "Memories of the Happy Days".
Enough with the boring stuff. Enjoy!
She took a step and the pain shot from the small of her back, and then all the way up to the arms. With another step her legs started to give out. She was so exhausted. That demon of a Father turned her training into hell yet again. Now, her sole goal was to wash up as quickly as possible and go to sleep.
When she finally managed to drag her aching body into the bath, she took off the sweaty clothes right away and let the warm water relax her strained muscles. The window was opened, what allowed the sweet scent of cherry blossoms to enter the room and envelop the place with a delicate aroma. She inhaled deeply, smiling. After a while she almost fell asleep, it felt that good, but her snooze got interrupted by Father.
"Shizuka, where are you?" For a second she wanted to just hide underwater and pray that he'll eventually give up. But sadly she knew Father and his persistence all too well. Sighing heavily, she exited the bath and headed to her room, adjusting the obi of her sleeping robe in the process.
"Here, Father," she called out finally. His fast steps echoed on the corridor and seconds later he entered.
Father wasn't very tall, he was barely towering over Shizuka, but his body was all muscles, the result of his diligent training ever since he was young. His face could be considered a handsome one, with a sharp jawline, fair complexion and few strands of brown hair covering his forehead. But no doubt his biggest asset were his eyes. They were very dark, almost black, their depth strangely hypnotizing. For his daughter however, they were the eyes to be wary of.
Overall, he seemed like an average man in his early forties. But that impression was disappearing the moment he got his hands of a sword, because Harunosuke was one of the most skilled swordsmen in Japan. The way he handled his blade, the famous Sagami Kaneyasu, was leaving everybody speechless. He mastered the Mizoguchi-ha Ittō-ryū style when he was fourteen, earning the title of a prodigy. During that time he was also introduced to iai – the art of quick draw, and started experimenting with different techniques. Soon, he was able to create his own fighting style, the combination making his movements so fast, that his opponents could only dream of landing a hit on him. His skill got quite a recognition, and thanks to this the dojo that he's established was always full of young men, eager to learn from the best.
As a teacher he was very respected. At the beginning his disciples were looking at him wide-eyed, completely fascinated by his abilities and the way he held his lessons. Harunosuke was very calm and patient, the traits very appreciated by sometimes still uneasy and inexperienced students. After few weeks, as they were already introduced to the basics, men were very content and full of enthusiasm about their future with Kurai-sensei.
But then, the real practise was starting. The disciples were to find out Harunosuke's true colours. His exhausting, downright inhuman training routine and scary demanding attitude during lessons was sadly making great deal of them give up, as they claimed they had wanted to keep their physical and mental state intact. Of course, they were the object the biggest contempt, since Harunosuke believed it is unforgivable for a man to go back on his word. He was also wondering what made them quit and just couldn't think of any reason. Still, many of his students were somehow able to endure, and their skills were improving greatly. However, they were flinching at every word from Harunosuke. That's how his nickname was born – Demon of the Wind, which showed the perfect combination of respect and fear that his pupils felt towards him.
Right now Demon of the Wind was looking at his daughter, displeasure visible on his face. Here we go, she thought. Time for the lecture.
"Shizuka, how many times do I have to tell you to stop being so reckless! This kind of scandalous attitude..." he huffed under his breath. "You would be dead the moment you would enter the real battlefield, do you realize? Confidence is good, but showing off is unbecoming for a true samurai." Shizuka didn't even have time to answer before he started again.
"Also, I believe I warned you to not overuse your powers. You shall win the fight honourably, with your own strength and effort. Those powers should be used only in the case of emergency. Do you understand?" he finished, hard note clear in his voice.
She did not.
After all, ever since she was a little girl, along with the swordsmanship, Father was teaching her about those powers, how to control them and use to her advantage. She also learned about their original family line – Yukimura, and its history. Father believed that she should know all about her heritage as the proud member of one of the greatest oni clans existing. But despite telling her all those things, he's never explained why he's so against using oni powers freely.
Instead, Father would always scold her harshly, just like now, making her wonder even more why he's so concerned about this. Also, talking about Yukimura clan with anyone was strictly forbidden. She was really confused by all those regulations.
"But Father," Shizuka whined miserably. "What's so wrong in using those powers? I can control them very well. You'd never told me why..." Hoping to get some answers out of him this time, she intended to press Father but, as usual when they were discussing this matter, he cut her off immediately.
"Enough! I am asking if you understood." His harsh tone startled her, the voice caught in her throat. Father was rarely getting intense with her, but when he did, there was no place for argument. His dark eyes were staring right at her, as if piercing through her very being, making her obey. The eyes to be wary of.
"Yes, Father," she mumbled finally and looked away, the feeling of distress spreading in her body.
Seeing his daughter so dejected, Harunosuke's gaze softened and he gave her a pat on the head.
"Thank you, Shizu." She looked up at him and saw his face lighting up in a gentle smile, an occurrence extremely rare. She loved this smile and he was perfectly aware of that.
Every time they were fighting about those matters, he would end the argument abruptly, and then, when she was angry, he would just give her that smile of his, disarming her and making her unable to stay mad at him. During those times there was a strange warmth in his expression, something that was instantly making her feel relaxed. And this time too, the uneasiness from before was gone in seconds.
And the way he called her - Shizu. Only he was calling her like this. Indeed, he knew very well how to handle his daughter. He truly was a sly man.
After a moment the smile disappeared, replaced by his usual, serious look.
"Now go and rest." He moved to the door, ready to leave, but stopped at the entrance for a while as if considering something. Then he turned on his heel, facing Shizuka again. "One more thing. Tomorrow first thing in the morning we are going to..."
"Practise, right?" she interrupted him, a heavy sigh escaping her mouth.
"No, let me finish, Shizu. We are going the the market. It has been a while, has it not?"
"Seriously?" she burst out, completely surprised. Father is making amends, she thought with smile. She liked it.
"Shizuka, too loud," he scolded her, though his voice was everything but harsh.
"Yes, I'm sorry. But it's been so long! I can't wait! Father, we must eat dango, like the last time. And you remember that fabric, don't you? Oh, and we absolutely must..."
Her excitement made Harunosuke smile again. His daughter could be so adorable sometimes.
"Alright alright, enough, Shizu." he shushed her with a small laugh. "We will talk all you want, but tomorrow. Go to sleep, you must be tired."
"Yes, of course. Goodnight Father!" She flashed him her brightest smile and disappeared in her room. Harunosuke sighed tiredly, thinking that tomorrow will be a long day. Shizuka on the other hand was already making detailed plans for their outing.
Dango, that's for sure. Eating it while shopping became for them something sort of a tradition. Also, she could use a spare sword. Father was such a fierce teacher that, even though it was bought not long ago, her Kanemoto was almost at its limit. They should have some tea as well, since lately the weather was just delightful. And most importantly, she'd make him buy the beautiful fabric she found some time ago. Back then she couldn't persuade him, but tomorrow, with a slight encouragement, he'd surely comply.
Happy with this conclusion she fell on top of the futon and again felt the strain of today's training. She drifted into sleep almost instantly.
Shizuka woke up upon hearing the sound of swords clashing. Is somebody practising? Who the hell would practise at this hour? she thought sleepily, but it took her only seconds to come to her senses and realize. A cold shiver ran down her spine.
Nobody.
She jumped out of the futon and opened the door. Hearing noises more clearly, there was no doubt. Somebody was fighting downstairs. A lot of men. Father... She hesitated only for a moment. Then she stepped back into the bedroom and put on her practising hakama as fast as she could. The cries grew louder and louder, for a second she could hear Harunosuke, and then they all stopped at once. She sped up even more, grabbed the sword and finally ran off down the corridor.
In the middle of the stairs she froze, her eyes widening with terror. The house looked like a bloodbath. The walls, the floor, everything was red. And in front of her... Corpses.
She could recognize almost all of them and, seeing them in such a state, she felt sharp pang in her chest. The people she knew, people living here; Father's disciples, ladies managing the house, her maids – they were all dead. She didn't want to look, but couldn't stop. The horrifying image burned itself into her brain.
There were also faces she couldn't identify and she assumed they were attackers. They didn't escape unscathed too. Good, she concluded, hatred filling her thoughts completely for a moment.
But... where is Father? Breaking out from her daze, she went down the stairs carefully, avoiding bodies spread before her. Suddenly she heard him, but the sound terrified her. It was a cry of pain. No, no, no. She rushed to the backyard just in time to see his chest being pierced by two swords.
"Father!" she yelled, making the intruders, all four of them, turn around and look at her. Harunosuke also noticed her and though he couldn't say anything, suffering overwhelming him, the message he was sending with his expression was clear.
Run.
But it was too late, as the blinding rage already consumed Shizuka's mind. She pulled the sword out of its sheath.
"There's one more," a tall, muscular man exclaimed, eyeing her with a smile.
"Don't let him run away!" the other one said to the rest, making them laugh. It seemed that he was in command.
"This brat ain't going anywhere, boss." The man's grin got even bigger, his eyes filled with cruelty.
Shizuka didn't even register their exchange, instead she was staring at them, bloodlust vivid in her glare. She could feel oni powers strengthen within her, the effect of her raging feelings, but she supressed them. I won't be needing them.
"A little boy is mad, hm? You even took out your sword, brat?" The tall man was apparently relaxed enough to talk to her. Looking at them and their laid back stances, it was obvious that none of them saw her as a real threat.
Good. Without them having their guard up I can end it even faster.
"Sorry, but we have to go. And you have to die," the man said finally with a loud laugh.
The short one at the front will move first, she thought seeing his feet, not paying attention to the talkative idiot. A second later he charged at her, but she was not there anymore. A look of confusion fleeted through his face, and he only spotted Shizuka when her blade buried itself in his chest. The man coughed up blood and fell heavily to the ground. The others were gaping at her, unable to comprehend what just happened. It was too fast.
She looked at her sword and seeing it stained red made her pause abruptly.
I just... I...
She froze solid, her eyes wide in shock. She tried to wrap her head around the last few seconds, but was unable to. Her body moved instinctively, her mind coldly calculating, concerned only with the next move and gaining advantage. For a moment, she was terrified of herself.
Hearing the other men's voices, she finally regained her senses. She shook her head and clutched the hilt of the sword tighter. For now, she decided to empty her mind out of the useless thoughts and concentrate on her opponents.
"You fucker! How dare you?! I'll cut you into pieces!" The tall man was not smiling anymore, he was furious. They all attacked her at once, making use of their numbers. I won't be able to fight all of them. I need come up with something, she analysed quickly.
Thankfully she knew this backyard like the back of her hand. Every inequality of the ground, its structure, location of the trees and bushes, everything was engraved in her memory. It was a given since she was sparring here frequently with... No, now's not the time. Concentrate! she scolded herself. She was gone before their swords reached her and stepped on the particular part of the land. She executed a move and raised the great amount of dust in the air, the dirt blinding the men and making them cough loudly. Then they heard a loud cry.
When the distraction was gone, they could see that one of them was already dead, a gaping hole in his torso. She backed out of the pool of blood, which was forming on the floor, and smiled at the two left, her grin inhuman. Instead of dodging she decided to charge, since she wanted to end this as quickly as possible. She clashed swords with the tall man, but from the corner of her eye she could see the leader trying to get behind her. She broke free from the opponent's field with a powerful kick to the gut, and heard him groan painfully as he fell on his back.
She faced the leader and launched at him instantly, forcing him to the defence. While they were exchanging blows, the other one has already gathered himself up from the ground. She attacked leader more fiercely, but couldn't really land a hit on him. He was parrying her all the time, waiting for his comrade to recover. Damn it.
She got annoyed with him and took one of her hands off the sword, and while she barely managed to hold him off, she punched him in the face, finally breaking through his defence. Father would scold me for entire day for doing something like this, she thought briefly, feeling the cut on her thigh healing. She attacked again from a different angle, just to confuse him further, and severed his sword holding arm. He screamed in great pain and fell down, clutching his heavily bleeding limb. She silenced him with a stab to the neck.
His comrade froze for a moment, a hint of fear appearing in his features. Then he stood up, eyes filled with wrath, desire to kill her written all over his face. Shizuka observed him, finding his rage quite useful. He's no doubt the strongest. Not only his posture, there is some serious skill behind that cockiness. Taking him on will be hard. It took her seconds to conclude.
But he has one serious flaw. She could see him shaking, his emotions taking control over him. After all, a little boy killed his companions. He'll make a mistake.
She looked around him quickly and noticed something, plan forming in her head. The man attacked her, putting all his strength into blows, while spitting angry insults at her. But Shizuka was too concentrated on parring his sword to care. At the same time she was slowly moving to the right, and he copied her. His eyes were following only her, not minding the surroundings at all. Just a little bit, she thought eying the floor. Just a moment...
She suddenly felt stab to her left arm, quite a deep one. The man gasped as if surprised that he got her, but then grinned, the sight of her blood clearly satisfying him. She berated herself for losing focus, but fortunately her plan could work out even better now.
She could already feel her wound healing and after pushing him away in the direction of the porch, she showed him her arm, she just couldn't help herself. The smug on his face disappeared. His jaw slacked down, eyes widened with aghast in the expression she found very amusing. He took step back, toward the rooms.
One.
"You... what are you? Mo.. monster!" he screamed almost hysterically. Look who's talking, she thought with a snort. She gave him a creepy smile and he moved back again.
Two.
Shizuka stopped supressing oni powers for a split second and they manifested immediately with her long, ebony ponytail becoming white. She looked at him, her eyes shining with a beautiful shade of gold. The man was now downright terrified and he backed out again.
Three.
He stepped into a pool of blood made by his short companion, the one she killed first, and slipped, losing his balance for a split second. That was enough for Shizuka.
Now.
She moved like a wind and slashed the man across the chest, wounding him fatally. His blood splattered everywhere, some droplets staining her clothes and face. His body fell limply to the floor. The fight was over.
It felt so long, but Shizuka realized that it took only two minutes, maybe three. For a moment everything felt surreal, as if she was in the dream, but as she noticed Father, reality hit her. She rushed there, fell on her knees and clutched his hand. She noted that there were a lot of corpses around him and his sword was stained with blood.
"Father, can you hear me? Father!"
"Shizu...ka," Harunosuke whispered weakly, his eyes fluttering open.
"Father! I'll get you a doctor so hang in there, alright?" She wanted to go right away, but he tugged on her clothes lightly, stopping her.
"No...use. Look at my wounds. You know... too well yourself." She clearly saw that one of the stabs pierced through the place where the heart should be, but she failed to acknowledge that, didn't want to.
"No Father, stop it. I'll call for somebody, so wait..."
"Shizuka, enough." For a moment Harunosuke's voice was almost like always, she remembered him scolding her so many times. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"I need to... tell you, before..." he paused knowingly and her heart started to crack.
"I'm listening, Father," she said, trying hard to prevent her voice from trembling.
"Are you alright? You didn't use... powers," he stated and looked at her bloody clothes, concern in his eyes.
"You saw?" she asked, his sudden comment surprising her.
"You were... amazing. Though that action..." he glanced at her with a reprimand, but it melted into pride almost instantly. Then he grabbed her arm, pulling her closer.
"Shizu, from now on... I want you to... use your real name," he finished and breathed heavily, shallowly.
Crack.
"What?"
"Don't ask. Just don't use... Kurai anymore... dangerous." Dangerous? How so? She wanted to inquire further, but then realized.
"So this happened, " she looked around, eyeing numerous bodies that surrounded them "because of our name?"
"Yes."
"I understand," she said after a moment, gazing at him.
"And also... Sawamura... remember th-" He wanted to say something more but started coughing up blood. She winced seeing him is so much pain. You can't break down. Not yet.
"They did this?" Harunosuke nodded weakly at her question.
"Yes, I'll remember." I'll never forget.
"M- Kaneyasu, take it," Father said, pushing his sword towards her, a little bit reluctantly. When she took it out of his hands he frowned. Frowned. "It belongs... to you. Better take good care... understood?" he whispered.
"I..." she was at loss for words. She couldn't think of a better reply, so she bowed deeply to him. "Thank you, Father. I will treasure it."
"Shizu..." His eyes were fading, the hold on her hand loosening its grip.
Crack.
She tried her hardest not to cry, but to no avail. The tears finally fell down her face.
"Yes, Father?" she said, her voice almost breaking.
"You are... my daughter. Do not ever... forget." He looked up at her and smiled gently, the smile that she loved so much. Then his hand fell limp, his eyes closed.
"Father? Father! Father, open your eyes! You can't, you hear me? You can't!"
No response. She lost control and started shaking his body, yelling at him.
"Wake up, Father! Please, open your eyes! Father, please, don't leave me, I beg you..."
Soon her voice became hoarse from all the screaming. She slumped down, clutching Harunosuke's bloody robes tightly. Her cracked heart finally broke, shattering into little pieces, each one of them sharp, increasing her suffering. It was over. She was all alone. Father... was gone. She never thought a person could have that many tears.
Shizuka didn't know how much time had passed. It could have been minutes or hours, she was not sure. The girl was still in the same place, next to Father, her hand holding his, her body slowly becoming numb.
Suddenly she heard noises in front of the gate. She turned her head slightly, not really interested, but the source of the commotion made her eyes widen. A stranger just stepped through the back entrance and when he noticed her, he growled. His hair was white. Oni?
There was something animalistic about the man, making Shizuka instantly come to her senses and concentrate, her habits stronger than current mental state. She stood up with Kaneyasu in her hand. No, somehow he looks different.
The intruder moved closer and she saw his eyes. They were bright, mindless and... red. What is this? She didn't have a lot of time to think about it though, as the man jumped towards her abruptly, his blade aiming at her chest. She dodged and readied the sword.
"Blood, blood, give me blood!" he hissed with an insane laugh and launched at her again. Even though he seemed thoughtless, the stranger's strikes were incredibly strong and Shizuka had a hard time parrying his katana. She managed to push him away and backed out a little towards the house, but then heard another growl, coming exactly from there. She looked over her shoulder, only to see another person, eyes and hair the same as her opponent's. Damn it!
She leaped quickly to the side, afraid that getting stuck in between those freaks would equal very fast death, and somehow managed to position herself in front of the two creatures.
"Blood, give me your blood!" they called out in the same manner as before, their faces distorted in inhuman grins. What is their deal with blood?
As she observed them closer, she could see that their eyes were unfocused, looking around frantically, and their bodies were trembling slightly. Is it... because of all this blood around? They're clearly distracted. She didn't really mind that they were acting like this, as long as their behaviour gave her an opening. She charged in a flash and stabbed one of them in the gut. He bent for a moment, but then looked up at her, still smiling, and attacked her with the same strength as before. She was so shocked that her defence weakened and she felt her side being slashed. She whimpered quietly.
How did he? He should be dead by now. Then she spotted the place where she injured him. The wound was already half healed.
What? Just how... Something clicked in her mind. You idiot. The same as you do. She cursed herself for not thinking. They are not oni, but of course they're not ordinary human either. What human has white hair and red eyes, you fool? Because of her lacking focus she just wasted the perfect opportunity to take down one of those creatures. Great.
Shizuka held the sword tighter, eager to correct her mistake. The intruders on the other hand looked like as if the remains of their sanity were gone and charged at her at the same time. Must be my blood. They totally lost it.
Not having the other choice, she released her oni powers and quickly dodged their swords, sneaking behind them. Then she stabbed one man through his back, aiming at the heart. Now you won't stand up.
He yelped, fell to the floor and soon his body turned to dust, this weird occurrence catching her attention. The other one however didn't let her get too interested in that, and he attacked her with even more strength than before.
But as they fought, having activated her powers, she could feel a significant difference between them. He was no match for her. Sure enough, after a minute the man's head went flying, the fountain of blood raining on her. Then he turned to dust, just as his companion before him.
She was breathing raggedly, exhausted from everything that happened. As she moved to hide Kaneyasu in its sheath, Shizuka suddenly found herself on her knees. Then, as the adrenaline left her system, the pain kicked in, the burning sensation in her stomach making her wince. She looked down, and seeing a deep, heavily bleeding wound she sighed annoyed. It must've pierced through. She haven't even noticed it during the fight.
Soon, she felt fatigue overwhelming her and her vision got hazy. As she was balancing on the edge of consciousness, trying hard not to give in, she heard footsteps and then a voice.
"Well, well, what a bloodbath..."
"Indeed."
"And look, somebody did our job for us. And here I wanted to have some fun tonight," the stranger sighed with disappointment.
She heard steps again, and then found herself facing two men. The only thing her fading senses could register was their blue robes, the intense colour standing out in her half-closed eyes. When they noticed her, they stopped abruptly, clearly surprised, but a moment later they unsheathed their swords. She struggled to stand up, protect herself, but in vain. She couldn't move anymore, she was just too tired. She fell to the ground.
"Should we kill this one too, Hajime-kun?" the same voice spoke again, its tone way to cheerful for her liking, considering the subject of his contemplation. But before she got to hear the answer, the exhaustion finally won over Shizuka and the darkness enveloped her.
Okay, first chapter down, a lot more to go! I know I threw a lot in there, but I wanted to establish the story as fast as possible. It'll slow down a little (at least for now )
Thank you very much for reading, and see you soon!