Author Notes: I told ya I'd stop putting the disclaimer up! (evil laugh). Updating one last time before exams are here and before bundles and bundles of science homework get thrown on me. It's all good. Um... that's all I have to say apparently XD. Oh yes, I changed Kaho's age slightly in the first chapter so that it'll fall into play for the tenth.
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When morning arose, they had packed up their bags and continued their journey to Mt. Taikyoku.
Along the way, they came upon a village in the afternoon and Hotohori had offered to treat them to a meal at a restaurant.
While they were at the restaurant, Kaho was busy contemplating about her dream and barely touched her food.
"Kaho."
Kaho snapped back to her senses and faced Tasuki.
"Somethin' wrong?" he asked, pointing his chopsticks at her, "Ya haven't touched yer' food."
"No. I'm just not really hungry." she answered.
Kaho looked at Tasuki and she could tell he didn't believe her.
"I'm fine. Really." she insisted.
"You should at least eat something to keep up your strength." said Nuriko.
Kaho was about to say something more, but Nuriko, Tasuki, and Tamahome all shot her glares.
"All right, all right." Kaho said, sweat drop prominent.
Only until Kaho started eating her rice did they resume eating their own lunches. After they finished their lunches, Kaho noticed that Hotohori wasn't around.
"Has anyone seen Hotohori?" Kaho asked.
"Nope." answered Tamahome.
"Come ta think of it, he was the first one finished his food an' he went out an' he's been gone a while." Tasuki pointed out.
"Well, if he's not back soon, Tamahome'll be the one to pay the bill." said Nuriko.
Realizing what Nuriko had just said and that he was the only other one of the group who always carried money, his eyes popped out.
"Go find him! And make it quick!" Tamahome whispered and pushed Kaho out the door when the man at the counter wasn't looking.
Kaho turned around as she stumbled outside the restaurant.
'But why me?' she thought, 'Isn't it clearly obvious that Nuriko should go? Since he's in love with Hotohori after.'
Seeing as she didn't have much of a choice, she decided to comply and went to go look for Hotohori. She found him sitting close to the edge of a grassy cliff behind the restaurant, gazing out over the valley and the purple mountains in the distant horizon. Kaho stepped near him and bent over with a smile.
"What're you doing out here, Hotohori?" she asked kindly.
"I simply do not normally have the leisure to view the landscape around me." Hotohori answered.
Kaho took a seat next to him and viewed the landscape as well.
"You're always so busy at the palace, huh?" said Kaho, "I know what you mean. It's nice to get away every now and then to admire the simple things in life."
Kaho rested her chine in her hand, still watching the landscape.
"Back in my world, I studied and worked, day and night. I wanted my mom and dad to be proud of me, where ever they were." said Kaho.
Hotohori's gaze left the mountains to stare at the grass before him.
"Your mother and father, hm?" he said in a soft and serious voice, "I was fourteen when I inherited the throne when my father passed away. The power struggle that followed was horrendous. In any case, my mother made sure I became emperor. You could say i was simply her puppet, but then she passed away and suddenly my world became virtually silent. i was surrounded by loyal retainers-my own people, but I learned how lonely, true solitude can be. I was like a bird in a cage."
With a great flutter of wings, three white doves soared past the pair and cliff, out over the valley. They vanished into the distance.
"You're free now, aren't you? You have the freedom to choose your path. You can pick up and take off, like you're doing now." she said and turned to him with a smile, "You're still young. You have your whole life to decide what you want to do."
Hotohori reached out his right arm and pulled Kaho against him, closing his eyes.
"You're such a kind girl. Always free and warm-hearted." he said softly and held her there, his grip and chest, warm and firm. Hotohori leaned his cheek against Kaho's soft hair, treasuring the moment for as long as he could
'I want to be with you forever, Kaho.' he thought.
Before Kaho could protest about her situation at the moment, the cracks of another breaking tree branch echoed out. Kaho blushed slightly and turned to see a furiuos and struggling Nuriko, barely restrained by Tasuki and Tamahome.
"Damn you, Kaho!" Nuriko screamed.
"What could have made Nuriko so upset?" asked Hotohori.
Tasuki's eyes blazed accusingly into Kaho's own. Kaho looked back at him for a moment, then turned away and gazed sadly into the valley.
On Mt. Taikyoku...
"Well, well. Shall we see if they can handle a test?" the dark figure said and turned around to face two other shadowed figures, "You two know what do do."
"It's been a long time since we've seen her." the first figure said.
"I certainly hope she won't hate us for this." the other said.
"I shall send you two down the mountain now. Are you ready?" the figure on the cushion asked.
The pair nodded. The figure chanted a few words and in the blink of an eye, the two that were standing before it, disappeared.
Back with Kaho and group...
Hotohori had paid the man at the restaurant and everyone had continued their journey to Mt. Taikyoku. It was late in the afternoon and they had come across a grassy path through a small forest. Kaho and Tasuki were walking ahead of the others and a thick fog was beginning to come down.
"Hey, Kaho. Slow down will ya? The fog is gettin' thicker, so don't go too far from me." said Tasuki.
"All right, all right. I'll come back." she grumbled. As she turned around to go back to Tasuki, she caught a glance of a blurry figure in the corner of her eye to the right of her. She stared at it a moment longer, trying to zoom in on it. When she could see the face clear enough, her eyes trembled and her hands flew up to cover her mouth.
'It wasn't a dream!' she thought happily.
The blurry figure turned and began to walk away. Kaho's face became panicked. She had seen her mother, but this time she wasn't in her dreams. Doubtful thoughts began to run through her mind.
' Was it just my imagination? Could it have been someone else?' she thought and paused a moment, 'No. I'd recognize her face anywhere.'
"Phew. I finally caught up ta-" Tasuki said, but when he got to where she was, she began to run in another direction, "Kaho! Wait! Where're ya goin'!"
Tasuki tried to run after her, but the fog became even thicker and he soon lost sight of her.
Kaho ran and ran, not sure where she was going, only following the blurry image of her mother through the forest. Finally, her mother stopped in a large clearing. As Kaho continued to run through through the trees, she could make out her father's figure and face beside her mother.
"Mom! Dad!" she cried.
Suddenly, a tree root jutted out from the ground, sending Kaho soaring to the ground. Kaho lay, unconscious, before her parents. Kaho's mother turned to her father with a sad face.
"I wish we didn't have to do this to her." she said sadly.
"I know." her father said gently and hugged his wife, "But we've got to. Otherwise, she'll never move on and she won't realize the people who care about her and the one who loves her."
Kaho's mother gave a silent nod, then both of them knelt down beside Kaho and placed their hands on her shoulders.
Back with Hotohori, Tamahome, and Nuriko...
Hotohori looked around the surroundings, but could only see fog.
"Don't you think something's odd, Nuriko?" he asked the woman beside him.
Nuriko appeared starry-eyed, hands clasped together most becomingly.
"Not at all. I think we're made for each other." she said happily.
"That is not to what I was referring." said Hotohori, "This much fog at noon is unnatural."
Tamahome and Nuriko looked around at the thick fog surrounding them.
"That's true. I get the feeling we've passed by this clearing before." said Tamahome.
"Yer' majesty!" Tasuki said as he appeared through the fog, his horse right behind him.
Hotohori looked at Tasuki, but noticed that his face was worried and Kaho was not with him.
"Tasuki! Where is Kaho?" he asked seriously.
"I lost 'er in the fog, yer' majesty!" Tasuki replied worriedly.
Back with Kaho...
When Kaho next awoke, she felt something warm and fabricy over her.
'A... blanket?' she thought.
Kaho opened her eyes and sat up in the bed she was in. She was in a room with a large wooden desk beside her bed, a brown carpet and white walls.There was also a closet partially opened in the left wall to show that it was full of clothes. The crimson door to the north of her opened and in came her father. Her father had brown eyes and short black hair. He wore a white dress shirt and brown pants with a black leather belt around his waist.
"Thank goodness. You're awake!" her father said happily and sat down on the bed, beside her.
"Dad? How're you still alive? Where am I and why does my head hurt?" she asked.
"Last time I checked, your mother and I worked to put food on the table." he said and chuckled, "You must've been dreaming. Some kids from your school knocked you out cold and you nearly missed your birthday! Of course, I gave them a firm talking to. Happy fifteenth birthday, honey!"
Kaho's eyes widened. She felt as though something bad was going to happen on her birthday, but something kept her from remembering what exactly.
'Was it really just a dream?' she wondered and looked at her left hand and right arm. Even the scars from Misora and Tasuki were gone, 'It probably was. How else could my mom and dad be here. It's even my fifteenth birthday.'
Kaho's dad patted her knee and stood up.
"It's already three PM, so you just missed school." her father said and sighed at her reaction at the mention of school, "I know you don't like it, but it's the best school your mother and I could afford. There'll be some food on the table when you're down."
He then opened the door and walked out.
'I'm glad they're not really dead.' she thought happily, then got dressed into a pair of dark blue jeans, a plain white T-shirt and a light purple vest. She hadn't dyed the tips of her hair red yet, so her hair was just black. After Kaho was finished dressing, she walked out the door and walked down the stairs to the dining room. Her house was two stories high, with bedrooms on the top and the kitchen and living room on the bottom.
As she walked through the kitchen, her mother turned around from the stove and hugged her tightly. Her mother had long brown hair tied in a ponytail that reached her waist and blue eyes. She was wearing a white shirt, decorated with pink roses all over, baby blue jeans and a pink apron.
"Kaho! You're awake! I was so worried about you!" said her mother, "When your father told me the good news, I was overjoyed."
Kaho gasped from the lack of oxygen. Apparently, there can be such a thing as too much hugging.
"Mom...! I still need air to breathe...!" Kaho gasped out and the grip around her was released. Her mother looked at her and smiled.
"Sorry, honey. It's just so good to see you up again." her mother said happily, "I'm sorry we don't have a birthday cake for you this year, Kaho. But your feather and I thought we could go to the movies, as a family."
"Really? What movie?" Kaho asked.
"Well, since it's your birthday, you can choose when we get there." said her mother.
Kaho smiled.
"Thanks, mom!" said Kaho.
"There's a bowl of food for you on the table. I made your favorite; pork fried rice and spring rolls." said her mother.
Kaho put on a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
"I'll be sure to eat every last bit of it." Kaho said and went to the table to eat her food. When she finished eating it all, she walked through the living room and to the door.
"I'm gonna go pick up the homework I've missed from school, okay?" Kaho called out.
From his seat on the couch in the living room, her father turned around to face her.
"Don't take too long, Kaho. We'll go to the movies when you come back." he said.
Kaho nodded, then opened the door and left. After she was gone, her father stood up and walked over to her mother.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
Her mother took a deep breath, then nodded.
Back with Kaho...
It took Kaho about a half hour to get to her school. When she entered her school through the side doors, she went to each of her teachers and picked up the work she missed. Surprisingly, she didn't have that much. As she exited through the front of the school, she saw Misora, standing at the school's gates, with her arms crossed and a smug look on her face. Misora was wearing a plain white tank top and a pink skirt.
"So I did see you go in." said Misora, "Because it's your birthday, little miss vampire, I won't do anything to you today, but I did leave you a present. You'll get it soon."
Misora gave a conniving smile, then turned around and walked off. A gleam of red from her face was caught as she turned. Kaho waited a moment longer, before going back home, to ponder what Misora just said.
' Something's not right. Did her eyes just glow red? Even if it was just for half a second, that's not something eyes normally do.' Kaho thought.
As she walked back to her house, she began to think about her parents. Something didn't seem right with them either. Kaho didn't know what, but something inside her was telling her something was wrong.
'Maybe I'm just paranoid.' she thought and shrugged it off.
"I'm home!" she called out as she walked through the front door of her house.
"Welcome back, honey. Do you have a lot of homework?" her mother asked from the living room.
Kaho walked into the living room and stood behind her mother, who was sitting on the couch.
"No, not much." Kaho answered, "Where's dad? I'll just get my jacket and we can get going to the movies."
"Your father's in the garage, changing the car tires. I'll go get him while you get your coat." her mother said and stood up, then walked to the door.
Kaho ran up the stairs to her room and go her puffy, winter jacket. Her jacket had a zipper and a hoodie on the back and it was black. It took her mother and father at least ten to fifteen minutes to get themselves ready. Kaho and her parents got into the car and began driving to the theatre. Since it was winter and it was already five-thirty, the sun was already setting and the sky was getting darker.
A couple of hours later...
Kaho and her parents had finished watching the movie and were walking out of the movie theatre. Kaho noticed that her shoes' laces had become undone.
"I'll catch up in a minute." Kaho said and lifted her shoe on one of the columns in front of the theatre.
Her parents nodded and continued walking. Suddenly, something was shot at the column Kaho was behind. Kaho whirled around to see a man dressed in a black cloak, holding out a gun in front of her parents. What ever was blocking her from remembering this day was now gone and memories of her birthday came flashing back to her. As she remembered that he was the man who killed her parents, she broke out in a run to her parents. As she stopped in front of them, she held out her arms to her sides. She felt two hands grabbing her by the arms. Kaho looked behind her shoulder to see that it was her parents holding her. Something was different about them. Their eyes were glowing a bright scarlet color and they acted as if they wanted to... kill her.
"Mom! Dad! What's wrong! We need to run!" Kaho shouted in a panic.
"It's no good, Priestess of Suzaku." the man in front of her said, still holding out his gun.
Kaho turned her head towards him and her eyes widened. Thoughts ran frantically through her mind.
'How did he know about my dream! Who is he!' she thought.
The man let out a sinister laugh.
"I have placed these two under my spell. You see, my spell digs deep into the darkest corners of the heart and releases the person's innermost feelings." the man explained.
Kaho's expression suddenly became pained and her arms slackened.
' This is... how they truly feel about me...?' she thought sadly, 'The parents I thought who loved me were just lies!'
Sensing the confusion and despair in her, the man released her, knowing that she would not run away. He pointed the gun at her and was about to shoot when she held up her arms again and wore a face of determination.
"Even if it's how they truly feel about me... I have no right to complain. They gave me a roof to sleep under and I survived because of them. If you want to kill me, go ahead, but you have to leave my parents alone." said Kaho.
The man smirked.
"No problem. I was sent to kill just you, anyway." he said, "I'll make your death as quick as possible."
The cloaked man slowly began to pull the trigger on the gun, but Kaho kept a serious face.
With Tasuki and group...
Tasuki, Tamahome, Hotohori, and Nuriko continued to walk through the dense fog. The forest was unearthly silent and it gave them an ominous feeling. They had been searching for Kaho for what seemed like hours, but had no luck yet. Every second that passed by, they became more and more worried.
"Kaho! Can ya hear me?" Tasuki shouted.
"We're getting no where searching for her in this fog." complained Nuriko.
Tasuki looked at Nuriko over his left shoulder.
"We can't give up on 'er now!" he shouted.
As Tasuki moved to turn his head back to the path before him, he spotted a narrow shadow, horizontally laid out through the shroud of mist covering the trees. The shadow was too narrow to be a fallen tree and he doubted that any boulder would be like that.
Tasuki stopped walking and pointed in the direction of the shadow.
"Over there!" he said, "I think it's Kaho!"
Tasuki began to run over to the shadow as the others were turning their heads to look. When they saw what Tasuki was running towards, their eyes widened and soon followed.
As Tasuki arrived at the large clearing, the figure came into focus. It was indeed Kaho he had spotted. She was lying on the ground, unconscious, and her right cheek had been grazed. As he walked towards her, he stumbled over the root that was jutting out of the ground.
"Tasuki!"
Tasuki looked over his shoulder to see Nuriko, Tamahome, and Hotohori running towards him.
"Are you injured, Tasuki?" Hotohori asked, then noticed the unconscious girl on the ground, "Kaho! Tasuki, what happened to her?"
Tasuki turned his face back to Kaho.
"When I got here, she was already unconscious. I think she tripped over the root behind us, which pretty much explains the graze on 'er cheek." he answered.
Tasuki continued to walk over to Kaho and knelt down beside her. When he touched her shoulder, a bright, white light emitted from her and enveloped them all. Tasuki covered his eyes from the brightness.
When he next uncovered his eyes, the trees had turned into unfamiliar buildings and even though it was night, the lights that were lined up along the streets made it so that everything was visible.
"Where are we?" asked Nuriko.
"What was that light?" asked Tamahome.
While still taking in all the surroundings, Tasuki turned around to see Kaho standing up with her arms out, in front of a man and a woman, and another man in a black cloak with some sort of weapon pointed at her. Tasuki could tell that the man in the black was about to fire by the look in his eye and the slow movement of the trigger on the weapon. Tasuki stood up and ran towards her as fast as he could.
"Kaho!" he shouted.
Tamahome, Nuriko, and Hotohori turned their heads around and saw Kaho and the situation she was in. Almost simultaneously, all of them broke out in a run, right after Tasuki.
Kaho had heard a voice call her name, but she did not turn her head to see who it was. Her first priority was to protect her parents.
Finally, the trigger was pulled and a bullet was sent flying towards her. Shortly after the first bullet, the pulled the trigger again, sending another bullet towards her. Kaho braced herself for the pain. But instead, she gasped as Tasuki dived at her, sending the both of them towards the ground. Instead of the bullets hitting her, they hit her parents.
Kaho sat up and stared at her parents, who were now on the ground, dead. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Kaho! Are ya all right!" asked Tasuki.
"Mom...? Dad...?" Kaho said, her voice quivering.
Tasuki's eyes widened. He looked at the dead man and woman, then back at her. He finally remembered where he had seen the two before.
"Kaho.. I... I'm so sorry." Tasuki said in a quiet voice.
Tamahome, Nuriko, and Hotohori had caught up with them and took fighting stances in front of them.
"Tasuki. Kaho. Are you hurt?" Hotohori asked, his sword held out in front of him.
"I'm fine, but Kaho..." said Tasuki.
Hotohori looked over his shoulder at Kaho. Kaho was sitting on her knees, eyes and jaw clenched together and her fists, trembling.
"Kaho... what-" said Hotohori.
"So you four are of the Suzaku seven? Out of the way." the cloaked man interrupted.
Hotohori turned his attention back to him.
"Are you another assassin sent to kill the Priestess of Suzaku?" Hotohori asked angrily.
The man chuckled.
"I am. I have been ordered to kill her, and anyone who gets in the way." he answered and pointed the gun at Hotohori, "I will ask you once more. If you wish to continue living, you will move out of the way."
Hotohori, Nuriko, and Tamahome stood their ground.
"Very well." the man said, and pulled the gun's trigger three times, sending a bullet to each of them.
"Kaho!" Tasuki screamed.
Before, Hotohori, Nuriko, and Tamahome knew it, Kaho was standing in front of them with her arms out to her sides. Kaho fell to the ground as bullet after bullet was shot into her sides.
The cloaked man gave an evil laugh.
"Now the foolish girl can join her mother and father in death!" he said and laughed again.
When he placed the gun in his cloak and turned to leave, he found Tasuki in front of him. Tasuki's face was a mixture of rage and sorrow.
"Yer' not goin' anywhere." he growled.
"Speedy one of the group, huh?" the man said and drew his gun from his cloak, but it was quickly swatted out of his hand by Tasuki's tessen.
"What're ya gonna do without yer' weapon now?" Tasuki asked mockingly.
The man smirked.
"You think that was the only one?" he said and suddenly, his cloak flared open to reveal, at least, twenty more guns underneath, "I suppose I should kill you all before I go."
Tasuki quickly rolled out of the way as the cloaked man grabbed two guns and began firing at him. Tasuki rolled behind the man and ran as fast as he could back to Hotohori and the others. When he was in front of them, he quickly turned around.
"REKKA SHIEN!" he shouted and turned all the bullets coming his way, into ashed cinders.
"Yer' highness, while I've got this bastard distracted, I need ya ta go behind and attack 'im. Nuriko, I need ya to deal the finishin' blow." he whispered to them, "Tamahome, I need you... to look after Kaho."
Hotohori, Nuriko, and Tamahome nodded their heads.
"Mahari-ku, maha-rita, yamubara, lekka shien!" Tasuki chanted, then flames grew tall and encircled the cloaked man, making it so that he could see nothing but fire all around him.
"You can't keep this fire up forever!" the man shouted over the roar of the flames.
Sure enough, the man was correct and the flames began to descend. When the flames had died out enough, he lifted the guns and was about to start shooting again, when a sword had stabbed him through the back.
Hotohori retracted his sword and jumped back.
The cloaked man slowly turned around and was about to shoot one last bullet at Hotohori, but a tree suddenly appeared from above and landed directly on the cloaked man, ending his life. Nuriko lowered the single arm she had used to toss the tree and dusted her hands off with a sniff.
Hotohori turned his attention to Tasuki, who was still standing with his tessen held low, and panting.
"Tasuki, are you all right?" Hotohori asked.
Tasuki grinned at Hotohori.
"I'm fine. Just tired." he answered and placed the tessen back on his back, "Yer' pretty handy with a sword, yer' majesty."
"You weren't bad yourself." said Hotohori.
Hotohori, Nuriko, and Tasuki walked back over to Kaho and Tamahome. Hotohori and Tasuki knelt down beside them, while Nuriko stood.
"Kaho." Hotohori said with fear.
"She jumped out in front of us to save us." Nuriko said sadly.
Tasuki cradled her in his arms and leaned closer to the girl's face.
"Kaho!" he shouted worriedly.
"Kaho! Please! Open your eyes!" Hotohori shouted.
The girl did not respond.
"Kaho!" Tasuki shouted again.
On Mt. Taikyoku...
The instigator of Kaho and the four warriors' ordeal watched in the mirror.
"I've never seen a girl like this one before!" it said with admiration.
In Kaho's mind...
Kaho floated through the empty darkness of her mind. Kaho's eyes slowly opened, then she sat up and looked around.
"What happened..." she asked herself, then her face saddened, "That's right... I jumped in front of the others and was shot..."
A single tear fell from her eyes.
"And... mom and dad.. they..." Kaho said and her shoulders began to tremble.
Back with Nuriko and the group...
Nuriko knelt down beside Kaho.
"You three, look away." she ordered.
"What? Why?" Tasuki asked.
"I'm going to undress her and bandage her wounds! Why else!" Nuriko snapped.
"But yer' a man-" Tasuki started and quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.
Tamahome and Hotohori blinked at Nuriko.
"Y-y-you're a man!" Tamahome shouted, pointing a disbelieving finger at the lavender haired warrior.
"Unbelievable!" Hotohori exclaimed.
' I can't believe it.' Hotohori thought, the concept still sinking in, 'I'm not the only beautiful man.'
Nuriko glared at Tasuki with angered eyes. A battle aura was practically visible around him.
Tasuki gulped.
"I'll deal with you later." Nuriko growled.
"W-we should d-do as he says." Tasuki stammered, then walked a few steps away from Kaho and Nuriko and turned his back to them.
Tamahome and Hotohori followed suit.
Nuriko lifted up Kaho's shirt and immediately, his face grew worried. All around her torso were long, narrow scars.
'What are these scars...' Nuriko thought then averted his attention to her wound, 'It doesn't look good. These wounds are deep."
Gripping the edge of his sleeve in his teeth, Nuriko ripped out a bandage from his clothes.
Minutes passed and Nuriko had finished his bandaging.
"Will she be all right?" Hotohori asked.
"Fortunately, nothing vital was hit, but it'll all depend on her will to live." Nuriko answered.
The four warriors looked worriedly upon the still-unconscious Kaho; torso wrapped with the yellow cloth from Nuriko's under tunic sleeve. Blood had already seeped its way up through the bandage, staining the beautiful material a dark red.
"I can't get the bleeding to stop!" Nuriko said with dismay, "If it doesn't stop..."
"Kaho!" Tamahome implored.
"Kaho, open yer' eyes!" Tasuki cried out.
Hotohori leaned over her.
"Kaho, hang on!" he cried.
Face tense with worry, Tasuki, too, bent over the girl.
' I'm sorry... If I had known they were your parents and saved them...' he thought gravely.
"She's getting pale!" Hotohori shouted.
Tasuki closed his eyes, his body shaking.
"Nuriko, how! How can we save her!" Hotohori demanded frantically.
"If we could give her blood... but we don't have the tools." Nuriko answered.
Tasuki clenched his muscles, his expression pure agony.
Back with Kaho...
"I can't hear anything. There's no one else here. Am I dying?" she asked herself.
At first, the thought made her heart race. But then, she began to hear the voices of her school mates.
You're not welcome here. Go away.
She's so annoying. Why doesn't she get the idea she doesn't belong here?
She's a freak. Just look at her eyes.
"That's right... I'm better off dead. I'm a failure. Everyone would be much happier if I died." Kaho said and closed her eyes, her voice grew heavy with unshed tears, "What reason do I have to live?"
Bright light suddenly appeared, shining from the girl's right. The warmth of it on her face made her look up to see a beautiful field, thickly dotted with pure, white-pedaled flowers.
Her gaze became fixed on the fields, almost beckoning her to come to them.
'If I go there, can I live in peace?' she thought.
Kaho began to walk towards the fields.
"Kaho."
Kaho stopped and turned to see her mother and father. Although she was glad to see them once more, she did not run to them. Her mind was made up, and living a peaceful life was what she wanted right now.
"Kaho, you can't give up now." her father said.
Kaho turned and faced the inviting fields again.
"But there's no point in me continuing to live on." said Kaho, "Nobody cares about me. I'm just a thorn in their sides."
Kaho's mother smiled.
"You're wrong, Kaho. You've never taken the time to realize the ones who truly care about you. Strain your ears and listen." she said, "Listen to the voices of the people who think you are important. Can you hear them?"
Slowly, Kaho turned her back upon the brightly lit fields of peace and listened.
Tasuki set his jaw.
"If she needs blood..." he said and reached down to grasp a shard of a beer bottle beside him in his fist.
"If blood is needed..." Hotohori said, then drew his sword and held it to his left wrist, teeth bared, "I will give her all I have!"
"I swear on my life, Kaho! Don't die!" Tasuki shouted and held the shard over his left breast.
Both men clenched their resolve, then selflessly struck without a second thought. Their blood fell to land upon Kaho's bandaged torso; two wide, hot symbols of love and determination mingled together with Kaho's own blood.
Back with Kaho...
"Kaho, live!"
Hotohori's voice reverberated through the dark void.
"Kaho, don't die!"
Tasuki's followed.
The girl stood in the black nothingness, eyes closed and a small smile on her face. Kaho's parents faded away, knowing that their daughter had begun to realize the truth.
"I won't die, just yet." she said.
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More author notes: (tear) I finally finished typing this thing up. In regards to the beer bottle shard. Some of you maybe wondering, "Where the hell did that come from?". Well, let me tell you I was trying to be creative XD At first I thought why not use a sharp rock? But what are the chances of that in the front of a movie theatre? A lot of the time, I see beer bottle glass around the floor near schools, theatres, downtown and other such places. So I thought, why not. Hope you guys don't mind.
