Chapter 2
Tomoe jolted upright in her bed, her head spinning. She laid back down, dizzy and weak.
"What the hell?" She pressed her palms against her eyes, pulling her hand back sharply at an unfamiliar brush of silk. Examining her hand, she brushed her fingers against the patterned silk wrapped tightly around her cut. Where had the fabric come from?
Shaking, she tried to remember her dream, must have been a dream, the man, his warmth, the stealing of her breath. She began to sweat. She found the katana case across the room and slowly opened it. The katana was gone. On the lid of the case noticed charred characters she hadn't seen before. She pulled her phone off of her dresser, opening the google translate app and aiming the camera over the characters…
Blood for life
Breath for voice
Flesh for…
The last word kept changing, as if the translation algorithm couldn't quite choose… change, separation, choice, ending, death
She shut the lid quickly and returned to her search for the katana. She looked under bed covers, in her closet, in every corner of the room. There was no sign of it.
Quickly she slipped down the hall, softly opening the door to her brother's room. A quick search under his bed, through his closet, and in his favorite hiding spot under the loose baseboard yielded no katana. As she softly slid the baseboard back in place, she heard the rustle of sheets.
"Tomoe?" Called a sleepy voice.
"Sorry bud. Just…just checking to see if I dropped something in here. Go back to sleep."
"Not sleepy…" Enishi slurred as he rolled over and snuggled back into his pillow.
She sighed in frustration. The katana was gone.
…
That night Tomoe closed her eyes tightly, trying to shut out the shouting coming from the kitchen. Briefly she wondered if she should go to Enishi's room to check on him, but if Jake brought his temper upstairs he was more likely to come to her room and it would be better if Enishi wasn't here. She exhaled slowly. When she opened her eyes, she saw the man, the Battousai, sitting in the corner of her room, the katana laid before him on the floor. She bit back a gasp and watched him closely.
He bent at the waist in a bow, his sharp eyes never leaving hers.
"I await my assignment." He said softly.
"As…assignment? What? Who are you." Her voice barely made it past her throat.
"Battousai." His eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"I…I don't know…" She gestured weakly with her hands. He stood, picking up the katana and gently resting its tip against the floorboards.
"I will kill the one you name and you will release me." His voice was soft, but she could hear the steel of command.
"I… I don't. I don't want anyone to die." She whispered. His expression changed, a cruel smirk cutting across his mouth.
"You lie."
"No. I mean it. I don't want anyone to die. I won't kill anyone." Her voice sounded stronger than she felt. Anger washed across the man's face.
"You lie. If you did not wish one dead, your blood would not have called to me."
He stepped closer to Tomoe, deftly wielding the blade so that the tip lightly scratched across her throat, a thin red line of fresh blood springing up behind it. She froze. He bent his head, his tongue gently following the the trail. He stopped at her pulse point, grazing her throat gently with his teeth. She shuddered, closing her eyes.
When she opened her eyes, he was gone.
…
For the next three nights, she found the Battousai in the same place, sitting in the corner of the room.
"I await my assignment."
Always the same words, nothing more. He ignored her questions. It was unnerving. He wouldn't leave until the first light of dawn. She tried desperately to stay awake, to keep her brother out of her room. By the third night she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer and in spite of the sharp gaze upon her, she drifted asleep.
She dreamt of the woods in winter, a small house with a warm fire. The man, he was there, but not the same. His gaze was warm, his arms wrapped around her and she settled her head against her shoulder. She felt safe, protected, as if this space were made for her alone. Her fingertips traced the back of his rough hands, gliding over calluses. She reached behind her to pull a strand of his soft red hair over her shoulder, twining it between her fingers. His head bent to give her better access and she felt him smile against her neck.
The sound of the bedroom door rattling jolted her awake. She had locked it. She heard the door jam crack and the wood give way as Jake pushed through with a curse. Before she could move, the Battousai sprang forward, the hilt of the katana slamming under Jake's chin, his fist plowed into the rolls of Jake's fat stomach. Jake vomited, staggered backward, and fell. Tomoe heard a sickening crack. Jake bellowed, his arm bent unnaturally at his side. Enishi stood in the hallway, shocked. Jake looked up at him in a fury.
"All right you little shit. You think you're a man with one fucking punch. You better run you little shit, cause when I get up, I'm gonna kill you." Jake vomited again and began to roll to his knees.
Enishi looked at his sister in terror.
"Go. To our spot. Now." She hissed.
Enishi ran.
Tomoe scanned the hallway. Where the hell was her mom? She darted past Jake and ran downstairs. Her mom's car was gone. Tomoe grabbed her shoes and followed Enishi into the night, running towards the woods.
She climbed the thick branches quickly and scampered into the burnt out hollow that lightning had created in the large tree so many years ago.
"Enishi?" She whispered.
She jumped as his small hand took her own from the darkness. She sat back against the hollow, pulling him into her arms.
"I didn't. I didn't hit him. I…" Enishi sobbed. Tomoe shushed him, stroking his hair until he drifted into a fitful sleep. When he stilled, she saw the Battousai, crouching in front of her in the dim light. Anger welled inside her. She wanted to scream at him, but she held back.
"I await my assignment."
Clarity, as cool as iced water washed over Tomoe. She saw the way out. Anger flared again. Had he done it on purpose? It didn't really matter.
"Jake Caraway. Kill Jake Caraway." She whispered, gazing down at Enishi's tear-stained face. When she looked up, the Battousai was gone.
She waited in the tree until she heard the sirens and the sounds of shouting voices calling their names. She woke Enishi gently.
"Listen to me. No matter what, don't say anything to the police. I will take care of it. Just don't say anything. Do you understand?" He nodded slowly and they climbed down from the tree.
…
In all his years on the force, detective Saito had never seen such a bloody crime scene. Male victim, approximately 50 years of age, eviscerated and beheaded. The arterial spray looked like rain.
He glanced back at the kitchen, at the woman sobbing in tears and the two pale-faced children. The children, they had seen something, he was sure of it. No blood on their clothes. Was it worth separating them for questioning? He stared hard at the thin-lipped girl. He turned his gaze to the young boy and felt his chest lurch. He was the same age as his own son. He shook off the feeling, he would question them further later. This monster needed to be dealt with immediately.
He scanned the scene again, lifting the sheet for a second look at the majority of the remains, minus the head. A broken arm, a struggle, a busted door frame. He began putting pieces together. So, this monster breaks into the girl's room, mom's not home, boyfriend comes to her aid, gets his ass handed to him. Did he slow the perp down enough for the kids to run? They must have left before the blood. A weapon. Perp must have drawn a weapon, a blade. Hell, it would have had to have been a damn sword. Who the hell carried a sword? Why not just shoot the man? Why carry a sword? Did he mean to be in and out quietly? Why?
His eyes fell on the girl again. Her room. She is connected. He examined her more closely. He noticed the bandage on her neck. He took a step toward her and stopped. What if she had been assaulted? His gut churned. He would need a soft touch in questioning.
"Detective Okita. A moment please." He barked.
Okita's normally jovial face was somber.
"I would like for you to question the daughter. Check on that neck wound and see if she'll submit to a forensic exam. If the bastard that did this touched her, I want to know about it."
Saito didn't wait for a response, but stepped outside. Nicotine was the next step and then he planned to hunt the bastard down.
…
Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading! Please leave me a note, even if you hated it, especially if you hated it so that I can improve. :)
- Eva
