I'm sorry for the long delay between chapters. And thanks so much guys for the wonderful reviews this fic is getting 3 I'm honestly sorry to those I haven't answered comments for, RL issues have me a way but do know I appreciate the feedback and all. Thanks :))
Akihito's feet and lungs burned. He got a few minutes head start on his plan to escape since the house was mostly empty due to a festival in town. He learned from the mistake of his first escape attempt, and instead of running to where he knew men were watching the yard, he ran to a little cave like area in the huge forested back yard of the property, a place he discovered years ago and would go to a few times when he really didn't want to be found. Luckily the little hole, barely big enough to fit him comfortably, was shrouded with shrubs and vines, so it was near impossible to spot even in the burning afternoon sun.
Footsteps could be heard running; they were looking for him. His hands trembled as he tried to will his breathing to normal, last thing he wanted was to be found because he couldn't keep quiet.
"Any trace of him…?" An unknown voice spoke and Akihito drew his legs closer to his chest and held his breath as the fear slithered up his spine.
"…No, not yet. His trail disappeared somewhere around here."
A shadow of a man moving, using his katana to cut at overgrown bushels could be seen. He wore battle ready armor and a helmet. A Samurai. Another shadow appeared; this one carried a bow and arrow, stance ready and poised to strike.
"Orders are t kill him on the spot then burn him, there should be no trace he was ever here." That was the samurai with the katana and the other nodded his head in agreement.
A wave of cold sweat washed over Akihito. His hands sudden felt too hot and clammy against his legs. He honestly wondered if he would make it out alive; his mind scrambled with dubious hope.
Asami.
"Who was the guy in the room?" Bow and arrow-san asked while covering their back.
"Takeshi Hikaru-sama, second son from the house of the Takeshi clan in the Totomi Province," Katana-san answered.
A man of stature, Akihito visibly trembled, even though he tried not to, at the implication. The second son of the head of a province… they would kill him without hesitation; demand his head on a silver platter in retribution.
"Let's hurry and find him, the Mistress is throwing a fit right now, that kid messed up the reputation of the house, this won't be pretty."
There was a grunt of affirmation from the other man before the two hurried off in search of him. Akihito could feel his pressure rising, like a metaphorical pressure pot about to explode. He was scrambling in his head as to his next move. Should he run or should he stay? He took a deep breath, willing his racing heart to calm before deciding the cover of night would best aid his get-a-way; he would be less visible that way. He hoped.
*******VF*******
Hours passed before twilight covered the landscape in a deep orange and red glow, then the cover of night fell. Akihito couldn't tell how long he sat in the little hole, but he knew by this time his muscles were so sore, protesting any and all movement, no matter how small. He'd kept himself completely still and quiet the entire time, only shifting when his ass burned or his back or legs hurt from his uncomfortable position.
Men searching for him passed occasionally and Akihito held his breath, becoming as still as a Buddhist statue. But they always passed, none seemed to be able to detect him from his hiding spot.
After a while the pounding of his blood in his ears were rivaled by the loud chirping of the crickets and other insects outside the mini cave. It was night, and fireflies lit a dancing and buzzing path through the shrubs of his hiding place like festive lights in the dark. It was incredibly cold as the icy breeze of the chilly night air swept over the land. He was cold down to his bones and his teeth chattered. The now dirty, layered kimono only helped him so much.
After an unbearably long wait, Akihito decided it would be time for him to risk moving. He wished he could have stayed in the mini cave forever and hide, but he was hungry, dirty, sore, weak and scared. He had to risk moving to see if he could get away, to attain freedom.
Nothing tried, nothing done.
Gingerly, ever so slowly he lifted his right leg and put it forward, towards the entrance. He had to ditch his zori to run more comfortably and he stared at his tabi shrouded toes as they barely touched the shrub, wondering if pushing out even his big toe would have made him visible to others. The tabi socks gave him little protection against the pebbles, sharp stones and prickly vines and shrubs of the forest floor, but it was better than his bare feet, which would have caused even more damage to his sole than was already there.
He started shaking again before ruminating about staying put a bit longer, but weighing the pros and the cons of that decision made him feel risking now would give him a better chance at escaping than waiting until day when the cover of night would be gone. He would starve to death if he went two whole days without food or water, or even the convenience of a sanitary outlet.
Akihito pulled his foot back and twisted his body until he was on his hands and knees. He slowly, ever so gingerly poked his head outside, just enough for him to take a sweeping glance of the surrounding area. His vision had to adjust to the endless shadows and slivers of light that made up the forest backdrop, and he thought that if it was too dark for him, maybe it would be too dark for the samurais as well.
Tentatively, Akihito sluiced slowly across the dry leaves and branches and dirt of the forest floor. He instinctively crouched as he moved, not wanting to be obvious against the setting of the landscape. He stepped carefully, trying not to make any noise by stepping on dry twig or any other noise inducing element. He was scared as he moved, praying to any deity willing to listen to help him get away. He didn't want to die here, he didn't want…
Snap.
Akihito held his breath and stood still at what he thought he heard. The blood pounded in his ears and the hair prickled on the back of his neck as he looked behind him, trying to focus his eyes as well as his hearing. He prayed he was only hearing things, or that it was a raccoon or a cat or something. Cold sweat washed over him, and when after a few moments there was no other sound, he started to move forward carefully again.
The trees rose up, dark against the night sky like blackened hands offering worship. The leaves and branches rustled, crickets chirped and owls hooted eerily, setting Akihito's nerves on edge. He had to use both hands to hold up the ends of the kimono as he moved.
Snap!
Akihito gasped this time before looking behind him; that definitely wasn't his imagination. The thought that he was being followed had him breaking into a full time run, not caring that he was making noises or that his feet were splintering from sharp vines, jagged rocks and barks that protruded from the earth.
Chilled to the bone with fear, Akihito took a glimpse behind him as he ran, and could make out the silhouette of a samurai running full speed towards him with sword drawn and held battle ready. This man intended to kill him.
Picking up speed, the sweat rolled from Akihito's forehead into his eyes, momentarily blinding him from the salty sting. He tried wiping at his eyes while he ran, but didn't see the correlated vines that stretched across his path, tripping him and sending him face down into the dirt like a sack of potatoes. He heard his own whimpering and gasps as he scrambled to move on quivering hands and legs; to run, to get away. But his movements were sloppy, impeded by the length of the kimono he kept stepping on, his slippery hands and feet that couldn't adhere to the sodden surface of his surrounding and the fear that gripped his heart like a vice, rendering him inept and clumsy.
The approaching footfalls grew louder and more rapid. Akihito's heart clenched as the sound made him realize he was about to die.
"Come here, you little shit!" A deep baritone voice reverberated through his senses and Akihito gasped as his hair was grabbed from behind painfully, then he was slammed on his back and his head hit a rock, hard. His vision swam as a hand came down and grabbed his throat after the man straddled him, keeping him in place and cutting off whatever cries and pleas was about to leave his lips. He clawed at the hand cutting off his air supply while watching the samurai's free hand raise the sword high above his head with the blade pointed at Akihito's heart.
Eyes widening and breath stopping, Akihito waited on the inevitable strike that would make him a corpse in the middle of the forest floor. His heart felt like it wanted to beat out of his chest, he was stricken with an overwhelming sense of terror, especially from the discomfort and pain of having such a bulky man on top of him with a death grip around his throat. He then closed his eyes, making a split second decision about not wanting to see his own demise. He waited, whimpering and holding back a cry at the knowledge that any second now that man's hand would drop like a guillotine and his life would be over.
The air shifted around him and Akihito anticipated this was it, but instead he heard what sounded like metal clashing against metal. He risked opening one eye and saw the tip of the sword the samurai atop him held being mere inches from his right eye, the grey moonlight glistening off the blade. But it was suspended in midair from another katana pushing against it and the masked face of a second samurai pushing against his attacker's katana using his upper body could be seen. Grateful, though he was still scared shitless, Akihito watched as his attacker was pushed off him to stumble a little away. He was then grabbed by the folds of his kimono and shoved roughly to the side, out of harm's way.
Shaking and coughing and trying to make himself as small as possible against the huge bark of a tree, he watched as the two men faced off.
"Who are you, betrayer?" Akihito's attacker asked, voice gruff and low.
The newcomer's face was covered in an eerie mask, but Akihito didn't miss the small detail that he wore the same uniform as the man that tried to kill him. He was also tall and extremely lean. The man didn't answer and only raised his sword above his head before charging.
Fear pounded in the back of his skull and through his chest like a hammer and Akihito ran while the men were distracted with each other, not wanting to be a part of the carnage. And what if the newcomer lost? Then the other samurai would want to pick up where he left off, wouldn't he?
Akihito ran, ran as fast as his weakened body and even weaker spirit would allow.
********VF*******
Akihito didn't know how long he'd been moving. He stumbled and fell along the way, the pain in his skull intensified and bile threatened to rise from his throat for the umpteenth time. He could hardly breathe, his lungs burned and his muscles ached. He didn't know how far outside the Okiya's perimeter he was, but he knew he was deep in the heart of the forest. Everything was thicker and denser around him.
Akihito's vision swam and he swallowed thickly, which hurt his dry, parched throat. His dirt covered arms came out to hug a tree as he stumbled towards it, using it for leverage as his body threatened to fail him. But he only had one thing on his mind and that was to get away. It was the only and the last thing he thought before darkness encompassed him and he fell to the ground in a heap.
*******VF*******
Consciousness slowly returned to Akihito and he realized whatever he was currently sitting on was bumpy, and moved with the grace of a horse.
It was a horse, he realized, which was confirmed when the clapping of the hooves reached his ears. Even through the darkness he could tell he was straddling the rider, because his legs rested atop the legs of whoever it was and his head was on the man's armored shoulder. He noticed he was positioned so the arms holding the reigns blocked him in, preventing him from falling sideways. He slowly opened his eyes and blearily looked at the passing scenery; more vegetation. The sun wasn't too high in the sky, shining from the west, which suggested approaching evening.
Akihito vaguely wondered if his mystery savior was Asami. Who else could it be? He hoped it was the man. His resolve strengthened and he wrapped both hands around the man's waist and held tight, willingly ignoring how the other man tensed at his touch.
The idea that it was Asami comforted him and Akihito closed his eyes once again, falling into another pain induced sleep.
